The Winter Witch
by Im-On-A-Roll
Summary: Elsa Arendelle has begun her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She should be happy being Prefect, Head Girl, and captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. But alas, even someone who has so much going for them can struggle within. And Elsa's final year brings more internal struggles than she has ever thought possible.
1. Chapter 1: The Letters

_Author's Note: The characters of this story belong to either Disney or J.K. Rowling. I own nothing._

_Chapter 1_

It was the last day of July, and it had come far too soon for Elsa Arendelle's liking. The seventeen-year-old girl peered out her bedroom window, the closest she could ever get to the outside world during the summer, and marveled at the beautiful summer scenery. The lush green grass dotted with bright flowers. The tall, noble trees bearing beautiful ripe fruits. Her younger sister Anna dancing merrily around laughing and singing to herself. It all screamed summer. Elsa smiled, longing to go outside and join Anna… But she couldn't and she knew it. She shut her curtains before Anna would see her and beckon for her to come out and join her. She was then left alone to think about how much more miserable it would be when school started.

School wouldn't be starting for the girls for another month and a day, but already it felt as though summer holidays had ended as soon as they'd started. Like most young people, Elsa always looked forward to the holidays, but not for the same reasons as her classmates. She couldn't have cared less about vacationing with her family or spending endless hours outside in the glorious sunlight. There was only one thing she truly loved about summer: it meant no school and it made it easier for her to conceal herself from people.

On the outside, Elsa Arendelle appeared to be a very fortunate young woman. Sometimes she would look in the mirror and even fool herself. There was nothing odd whatsoever about her reflection. Platinum blonde hair, large blue eyes, rosy cheeks. By most peoples' definitions she was beautiful. She was also highly intelligent, of good health, and a member of a wealthy and loving family. Any ordinary girl would be happy to be living the life she lived.

But Elsa was no ordinary girl. She was a witch. This of course was no secret, except to non-magical people known as muggles. Everyone who knew Elsa knew she embodied magical abilities. Her entire family was composed of witches and wizards. But what concerned her, and even more so her parents, was her magical talent of being able to control snow and ice. She could touch anything with her bare hands and it would instantly be covered in a sheet of ice. According to her parents, this rare gift was called glaciation and anyone who possessed it was called a glaciatous.

She had been born with this ability and it had caused great concern to her and her parents for as long as she could remember. She'd never minded as a child. In fact, she used to enjoy creating winter wonderlands for her and Anna to play in. But that was before the nearly fatal accident that nearly cost poor Anna her life. Nearly ten years ago, when Elsa was eight and Anna was five, the two sisters were playing in Elsa's snow when she'd accidentally struck Anna in the head with a blast that knocked the young girl unconscious. Luckily the impact had not killed her, but Elsa was overcome with grief and guilt. Their parents performed a memory charm on Anna, modifying her memory and causing her to forget Elsa's glaciatous powers.

Elsa, out of fear of hurting anyone else, had limited her contact with people and hidden herself in her room. To keep her powers hidden, she would wear gloves that her parents had given her. "Conceal it," they would tell her. "Don't feel it. Don't let it show."

Three years later, Elsa had received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first she was reluctant to go. She knew she'd be away from her parents for a long time and it would be difficult to keep her powers hidden when there would be so many students around her. Her parents eventually convinced her that she would be fine as long as she wore the gloves. With that, she was off to start her Hogwarts career.

Even she had to admit that she'd done well at Hogwarts. She'd been sorted into Ravenclaw House upon arrival and had even made a few very good friends: Belle la Beaute and Rapunzel Bloom, two other Ravenclaw girls who were also considered social outcasts. Elsa felt safe near them, but not quite safe enough to reveal to them that she was a glaciatous. She kept it a secret even from them and always wore the gloves. The other students all thought she was weird because of this, especially the members of Slytherin House who looked down on nearly everyone except each other. With Belle and Rapunzel at her side, Elsa had gotten through her first three years at Hogwarts without letting her secret show. But her nerves increased drastically at the start of her fourth year, when Anna received her Hogwarts letter. Because of the years of being separated from her sister, Elsa simply couldn't allow herself to be as close to Anna as she was to Belle and Rapunzel. And the thought of them being together at the same school, and possibly being in the same house, had sent chills down Elsa's spine. Luckily for her, Anna had been sorted into Hufflepuff House and therefore the two sisters would eat at different tables in the Great Hall and sleep in different common rooms on completely different floors. Needless to say the age difference meant they'd never have classes together. Deep down, this had hurt Elsa, but she knew it made her sister all the more safe from her powers.

And now, Elsa was entering her final year at Hogwarts, whereas Anna was entering her fourth. This meant there was only one more year of the forced separation before Elsa would leave school and go onto greener pastures.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut short when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Half surprised and half upset, she shouted, "Not now, Anna!"

"It's not Mistress Anna, Mistress Elsa," replied the squeaky voice of her family's house elf.

"Oh," said Elsa with a slight chuckle. She ran to the door, opened it, and looked down at the tiny pointy-nosed elf. "Sorry, Olaf."

"It's no problem, Mistress Elsa," the elf replied. "Olaf just wanted to let you know that the post has arrived and there's quite a bit for you." He held up two letters that were addressed to Elsa. "Olaf thinks one of them is your Hogwarts letter."

Elsa quietly took her mail and looked sadly at the top envelope. It was very heavy for a letter, as the Hogwarts letters tended to be, and was addressed to her in green ink.

"Thank you, Olaf," she said in a gloomy voice. She was just about to close the door when the elf began jumping frantically trying to stop her.

"Wait! Wait!"

Elsa looked at him.

Olaf smiled and held out his long, spindly arms. "Doesn't Olaf get a warm hug for his duties?"

Elsa chuckled. Olaf sure liked warm hugs. She knelt down and embraced the tiny creature. Olaf responded with a childishly innocent chuckle, waved goodbye, and ran off as fast as his small legs could carry him.

Elsa closed the door and walked over to her bed. Then she reluctantly opened her Hogwarts letter, already knowing what she'd find inside. As she'd expected, it was a reminder from Professors Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the deputy headmistresses of Hogwarts, that the next term was set to begin on September the first and that all students were to report to Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station no later than 11:00 AM. There was also the list of supplies Elsa would need for her seventh year, including her spell books, new robes, and new cauldrons. To her surprise, there was a third paper enclosed in the envelope. She removed it and curiously read:

"_Dear Miss Arendelle, _

_Let us be the first to congratulate you. Your outstanding academic achievements and superior reputation as a student have earned you the title of Head Girl. This means you will have complete responsibility over all other prefects, all other students, and be allowed to contribute whatever you wish to Hogwarts School. We hope that you will find pride in this task and that you will lead well. Please find enclosed in this letter your Head Girl badge. Wear it proudly and good luck. _

_Hoping you are enjoying your summer holidays, _

_Professors Flora, Fawna, and Merryweather. _

_Deputy Headmistresses."_

Sure enough, Elsa found a blue and silver colored badge bearing the words "Head Girl" at the bottom of the envelope.

She felt her heart pounding madly in her chest. This couldn't be happening, it simply had to be a joke. Her? Head Girl? This was the last thing she'd ever wanted, or expected. Of all the prefect girls entering their seventh year, they had to pick Elsa, who constantly tried to avoid the spotlight while most of the others worked like crazy trying to leave their marks on the school? Elsa was already captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and she'd already been forced to become a prefect against her will. This was the last thing she'd needed: another way to attract unwanted attention to herself.

She dropped the contents of her Hogwarts letter to the floor and, hoping to take her mind off of this nerve-racking news, reached for her second letter. Her mood brightened slightly when she saw the perfect handwriting of Belle la Beaute, her best friend and fellow Ravenclaw seventh-year. The letter read:

_My dearest Elsa, _

_I hope you're enjoying your summer holidays as much as I have enjoyed mine. Papa and I have spent the past three weeks on holiday in Paris. It's so beautiful there. I hope to move there one day after we finish Hogwarts. I've nearly perfected the language. Don't be too surprised if it's all I speak when you see me in September. Which reminds me. I don't know if you've been in touch with Rapunzel, but we've made plans to meet at Diagon Alley in one week and to spend the rest of the holidays in the Leaky Cauldron. Please feel free to join us. We'd truly love to see you. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express. _

_Forever yours, _

_Belle. _

This was certainly what Elsa had needed. Being able to spend her last few weeks of the summer holidays with the two people whom she felt safest to be near. She smiled for the first time in ages and stretched happily on her bed.

She knew this feeling would not last. She still had to go back to school afterwards. She'd still have to face another year of keeping a safe distance from Anna. And she'd still have to face the uncomfortable task of being Head Girl. But for now, none of that mattered. Just one week from now, she'd be back in the presence of her best, and only, friends.

_End of Chapter_


	2. Chapter 2: An Unfortunate Encounter

_Chapter 2_

One week later, the entire Arendelle family travelled to the Leaky Cauldron, the popular wizard pub that led to Diagon Alley. Elsa and Anna had put on their Hogwarts cloaks that bore the crests of their respective houses (a blue and silver raven for Elsa and a yellow and black badger for Anna).

"I can hardly wait to see everyone!" Anna exclaimed as the family entered the pub.

The same couldn't be said for Elsa. She was glad to see her Anna was so excited, and of course she had reason to be. Anna had many friends at Hogwarts, several of them weren't even Hufflepuffs. She loved to be around people and people loved being around her. No one ever stared at her from afar and gossiped about her like they did to Elsa. Why would they? Anna was not a closet glaciatous who was forced to wear gloves even in the warmest weather. She was, relatively speaking, perfectly normal.

"Would you girls like to join us in a drink before you go shopping?" asked Mr. Arendelle.

Before Elsa could evade going into the crowded alley by saying yes, Anna replied, "No thanks, Papa, we wanna get started right away. We have so much to buy and so many people to see, don't we Elsa?"

"Uh…"

"Very well, go ahead," said Mrs. Arendelle. "Oh and Elsa, wear your Head Girl badge."

Elsa moaned and reluctantly pulled the blue and silver badge from her shirt pocket. "Isn't it bad enough that I have to wear gloves?"

"Who says you have to?" Anna asked. "Can't you just forget about being a germaphobe for this one day?"

"No I can't," Elsa replied curtly.

Mrs. Arendelle ignored this and said, "Your classmates have a right to know who their Head Girl is."

"Your mother's right," said Mr. Arendelle. He moved a bit closer to Elsa and whispered so Anna couldn't here, "Remember, don't be too proud. Remain calm. And keep the gloves on."

Elsa nodded. "Conceal it, don't feel it."

"That's my girl. Now run a long."

"Come on!" Anna grabbed Elsa's hand and the two sisters hurried out of the pub's back entrance. From there, they entered a small courtyard and found themselves facing a large brick wall. Anna pulled out her wand. "Okay, I can do it."

"Are you sure?" asked Elsa.

"Yes," Anna assured. "I remember it. I've got it. I've got it." She faced the brick wall for several seconds and finally confessed, "I don't got it."

Elsa sighed and pulled out her own wand. She then tapped specific bricks slowly so Anna could remember. "Three up, two across," she explained.

"Right. Three up, two across. Three up, two across," Anna mumbled to herself.

The bricks of the wall rearranged themselves to form a large archway. As the sisters entered the crowded streets of Diagon Alley, Elsa said, "I mean it this time. You have to learn to remember it. I won't be here next year to show you how it's done."

Anna showed no signs of listening. She seemed more interested in waving madly to her friends from school as she passed them by.

The sisters first went to Gringotts Wizarding Bank and each took a large amount of gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knuts from their vaults. Then it was time to buy school supplies. They each went their own way, against Anna's will.

Elsa went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to purchase new school robes. As she stood in front of a mirror while Madam Malkin measured every part of her anatomy, she gazed out the window trying to look out for any glimpse of Belle or Rapunzel. She hoped also that any minute now, she would hear one of their voices calling to her from behind. No such luck.

Madame Malkin was nearly finished hemming Elsa's new robes when the shop door opened and two girls trotted ungracefully inside. Elsa was upset that they weren't Belle or Rapunzel, but she was more upset at who they were. Drizella Tremaine, one of the most infamous members of Slytherin House, and her fraternal twin sister Anastasia. Drizella was greedy, selfish, unkind, stupid, and not particularly attractive to say the least. No one outside of Slytherin liked her and they all thought it remarkable that she was a Prefect. She were especially unkind to Elsa, or as she called her, "Mittens" because of the gloves. Anastasia wasn't quite as abusive. She seemed to only be Drizella's tagalong because the latter was so awful and had almost no real friends.

Elsa gulped and prepared to pull up the hood of her robe. Before she could do so…

"Hey look, Sis! It's Mittens!" Drizella shrieked.

A look of defeat appeared on Elsa's face as she slowly turned to face the two sisters. "Hello, Drizella," she said calmly, remembering her father's words.

"Have a good summer?" Drizella asked as she marched over to Elsa. "Must've been a hot one for you what with the gloves and all."

Elsa ignored the last comment and replied as calmly as possible, "It was a great summer. Thank you for asking."

Drizella raised an eyebrow and examined the badge on Elsa's chest. "So I see. Head Girl, huh?" She then became hysterical, half-laughing and half-snorting. "Can you believe it, Sis?" she asked Anastasia. "The freak who's afraid of her own shadow is _gonna_ be telling us what to do! That's a good one!"

Anastasia laughed quietly, but judging by the sympathetic look on her face, Elsa could tell she didn't mean it.

"It's a miracle Hans is Head Boy," Drizella continued. "Otherwise we'd all be doomed."

Elsa felt her heart stop at the mention of the name Hans. "Hans South? He's Head Boy?"

Hans South was Drizella's fellow seventh year Slytherin Prefect. As far as Slytherins were concerned, he was as popular as a student could get. He was the embodiment of every trait that defined a Slytherin: cunning, sly, resourceful, ambitious, and overconfident. He was also very good looking and a skilled athlete, which had also given him the title of Slytherin Quidditch team captain. Elsa felt a bit stupid. Hans was a marvel student and perfect athlete. Anyone with half a brain could have guessed he would become Head Boy. He may have been popular, especially with girls, but Elsa never felt attracted to him. If anything, she felt him untrustworthy. Of the many Slytherins who had gawped at her during classes, Hans was the worst. She could only help but wonder if he'd smelled a rat.

"Yep," Drizella replied. "And that means you two are gonna be spending _a lot_ of time together. Maybe enough to let him finally see you without your gloves."

Elsa rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Madam Malkin. "Will you be done soon?"

Before Madam Malkin could reply, Elsa gasped as she felt her left glove being forcefully removed from her hand.

"You look at me when I'm talking to you!" Drizella snapped.

Elsa reached for her glove, almost knocking Madam Malkin over. But Drizella hid it behind her back and cackled wickedly. "Come get your precious glove, Mittens!"

"Give it back!" Elsa snarled. She felt herself growing increasingly furious. She was losing control and felt herself hating Drizella by the second. Hating enough to willingly hurt her. But before she could get too angry…

"Stop it!" Anastasia shouted, grabbing the glove from Drizella's hand. She held it out to Elsa, who was breathing heavily.

Elsa briefly thanked Anastasia for returning the glove. She was truthfully more thankful than she appeared: thankful because she'd come dangerously close to losing control and revealing her powers and using them to attack Drizella.

"Well, I've seen just about enough," said Madam Malkin. She pointed to Drizella and harshly said, "Leave my shop this instant."

Drizella scoffed. "But I needed new dress robes!"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Madam Malkin warned.

Drizella glared at her and then at Elsa. "See you at school, _Head Girl_. Come on, Sis."

Anastasia gave Elsa a final sympathetic look and the two sisters left.

"Of all the disgraceful, childish performances I've ever seen in this shop," Madam Malkin complained.

Elsa wasn't listening. She was too busy whispering to herself, "Conceal it… Don't feel it… Don't let it show."

_End of Chapter_


	3. Chapter 3: Ice Cream and Confrontations

_Chapter 3_

Elsa paid for her new school robes and left Madam Malkin's shop without saying a word, at least to Madam Malkin. "Conceal it, don't feel it," she told herself repeatedly. "Conceal it, don't feel it." She walked down the streets of Diagon Alley, not really caring where to go next, breathing heavily and telling herself the same advice her father had given her.

After a few minutes, she'd finally calmed herself down and decided it was time to continue her shopping. She still had to buy her spell books, potion ingredients, and a new cauldron.

She was just making her way to Flourish and Blotts bookshop, when she heard a far too familiar voice shouting her name.

"ELSA! ELSA! OVER HERE!"

She looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw Anna, who was sitting at a table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor with two other girls. Elsa waved curtly and tried to continue on her way without drawing attention to herself. But Anna clearly wouldn't have it.

"ELSA! COME HERE AND SIT WITH US!"

Elsa froze in her tracks and sighed. All she wanted at the moment was to finish her shopping as quickly as possible and then track down Belle and Rapunzel. Although, the thought of ice cream did sound very nice, especially on such a warm August day. She put on a calm smile and walked over to Anna's table. The two other girls looked over at her and finally she could see whom they were. Two of Anna's closest friends and fellow Hufflepuffs: seventh years Tiana Jackson and Charlotte La Bouff. Elsa suddenly felt uneasy. She knew the two girls well enough, as they were all in the same year, but not well enough that she could sit and socialize with them.

Tiana was the seventh year prefect of Hufflepuff. She was polite, but also rather stern and she valued hard work above all things. She was popular among her fellow Hufflepuffs, and it wasn't hard to see why. Her hard work always paid off. She got excellent grades and was never afraid to speak her mind. It also helped that she was undeniably beautiful with her dark complexion, wavy hair, brown eyes, and dimples.

Charlotte was en entirely different ball of wax. The best word to describe her, as far as Elsa knew, was "ditzy". She was sweet, perky, and very loud. No one ever took her seriously and she took very few things seriously. But she wasn't without her good qualities. She too was beautiful: short blonde curls, shining blue eyes, rosy pink lips. She was also very social and, though coming from a very rich family and having a spoiled upbringing, willing to give generously to others. Elsa could easily understand why she and Anna would be such good friends.

The three Hufflepuffs smiled at Elsa as she arrived at the table.

"Good afternoon, Tiana. Charlotte."

"Afternoon, Elsa," Tiana greeted casually.

"Oh, Elsa!" Charlotte shouted as soon as Elsa took her seat. "Your sister's just been tellin' us the most wonderful news!" She gasped when she noticed Elsa's Head Girl badge. "It's true! You're Head Girl! Oh congratulations, darlin'! You must be over the moon!"

Elsa, feeling a bit uncomfortable at this overly welcome greeting, could not think of anything to say other than, "Thanks, Charlotte."

"Yeah, great job Elsa," Tiana agreed.

"And this is a great time to celebrate!" Anna squealed. "We just ordered a large triple chocolate sundae."

"It's all on me," Charlotte said proudly.

"That sounds delicious," Elsa said truthfully. She did love chocolate as much as the next girl. "But I really don't think I should stay for too long."

"Oh come on, Elsa," Anna begged, giving her big sister puppy dog eyes. "This is your last year at Hogwarts and we're hardly ever going to see each other. I want to make sure what little we have lasts."

Elsa, though horrified as ever of accidentally revealing her glaciatous powers, couldn't resist this temptation. After all, what harm could come from enjoying ice cream with her sister for a short time? Even if it was with two other girls who made her nervous on different levels.

"Alright, I'll stay, but not too long."

"Yay!" Anna squealed again.

Moments later, a waiter appeared at their table carrying a large bowl of chocolate ice cream that took up almost the whole table top. "There you are, ladies," he said. "Enjoy."

The four girls gazed happily at the masterpiece of a sundae in front of them.

"You, Sir, are about to get the best tip of your life!" Charlotte reached into her purse, pulled out at least ten gold galleons, and practically threw them into the waiter's hands.

"Thank you, Miss La Bouff," said the waiter in a thrilled voice. He then ran off and left the four girls alone.

For a few minutes, they ate their ice cream in silence, marveling in the delicious, rich taste and hoping to savor it as long as they could. Once or twice, Elsa had to remind herself that she couldn't stay too long.

Anna was the first to break the silence. "Isn't this nice? All of us relaxing here eating the best ice cream in the whole wizarding world?"

"Well considering the episode I just had at Madam Malkin's, I'd say yes," Elsa admitted.

"What happened?" asked Anna.

"I had a less than pleasant encounter with that awful Drizella Tremaine," Elsa replied.

Tiana and Charlotte looked as though they were going to gag at the sound of Drizella's name.

"Ugh! Don't talk about that slimy little troll while I'm eatin'," Charlotte exclaimed.

"Seriously," agreed Tiana. "That girl is enough to make Professor Fauna curse."

"What'd she do to you, Elsa?" Anna asked.

Elsa suddenly became nervous again. She couldn't very well say that Drizella had provoked her by taking her glove and almost causing her to blast a hale storm with the powers that she'd been keeping bottled up her whole life.

"Uh… She took my glove and almost didn't take it back," Elsa replied quietly.

The three Hufflepuffs stared back at her in disbelief.

"Is that all?" Tiana asked in a voice that rang with a hint of suspicion.

Elsa looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Drizella Tremaine has done some very low things, and I mean _very_ low," said Tiana. "We're talkin' about the girl who purposely fed Aurora Briar's pet bird to her cat just two years ago. And now here you are tellin' us how horrible she is just because she took your glove? That's honestly the nicest thing I've ever heard of her doin'."

Elsa was beginning to feel offened. "You don't understand."

"Obviously," said Tiana. "What's the big deal if she just took your glove?

"Um, Tia?" Charlotte interrupted.

Tiana ignored her and continued to ask, "Can you not live without them or somethin'? Don't you ever take them off?"

"Tia!"

"Or are you trying to hide somethin' from us? What's the issue?"

The more questions Tiana asked, the more it seemed she was hitting the nail on the head. Once again, Elsa felt herself losing control. It wasn't that she wanted to hurt Tiana, who remarkably was actually being nicer than Drizella had been. She simply wanted the questions to stop. At that moment, she arose from her seat to order Tiana to stop asking question.

"Elsa?"

Her anger melted away when she heard another familiar voice say her name from behind. She quickly turned and found herself face to face with her two best friends: Belle, who looked as she always did with her hazel eyes and long brown hair tied back with a blue ribbon, and Rapunzel, who had large green eyes, freckled features, and very short dark brown hair.

Elsa sighed. "Oh am I happy to see you both," she said, breathing heavily as she had after her encounter with Drizella.

"What's the matter, dear?" asked Belle. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," said Elsa. "I'm fine. I'm just not having the best day."

Rapunzel stroked Elsa's cheek and affectionately asked, "Are you okay? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Elsa nodded and calmly replied, "Not here, please."

Rapunzel, knowing how her best friend tended to get nervous in social situations, looked accusingly at Anna, Tiana, and Charlotte. "What did you say to her?" she asked them.

"Not now and not here," Elsa insisted.

Belle and Rapunzel looked at each other and then back at their friend. "Very well," said Belle. "Let's go to my room at the Leaky Cauldron. You can tell us everything there."

Elsa said goodbye to Anna and then followed her fellow Ravenclaws to the Leaky Cauldron. Before the trio of Hufflepuffs were out of earshot, Elsa heard Anna say in an annoyed voice, "Thanks a lot, Tiana."

This was followed by Tiana saying, "I didn't know the gloves were such a touchy subject to her."

_End of chapter _


	4. Chapter 4: Social Outcasts

_Chapter 4_

Elsa was completely silent as the trio of Ravenclaw girls made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. On the inside however, she was struggling. _Get it together_, she thought to herself. _Conceal it, don't feel it_.

The more she fought within, the longer the walk to the Leaky Cauldron felt. Diagon Alley seemed more crowded than before and it didn't at all help that every Slytherin they passed had their nosy eyes glued to the three of them. Apart from the occasional comments of "Keep your distance," or "Back off, there's nothing to see here," from Belle and Rapunzel, Elsa did her best to ignore the unavoidable Slytherins.

They were almost at the archway that led to the Leaky Cauldron when they found their path blocked by two Slytherin boys. One, to Elsa's dismay, was Hans South: the suave and highly intelligent green-eyed redhead who had been given the title of Head Boy. The other was Gaston Archer: a tall and incredibly muscular youth with pale blue eyes and a black ponytail. The two were best friends but many students believed Gaston was little more than Hans' bodyguard because of his large formidable size. One thing was for sure. With Hans' brains and Gaston's brawn, they formed a dangerous duo very few people dared to stand up against.

The two young men looked down at the trio with devious, almost evil smiles.

"Hello, ladies," Gaston said in his deep, booming voice. "And a special hello to you, Belle."

The look on Belle's face registered annoyance and disgust. "Hello, Gaston."

"So, Arendelle, Drizella tells me you're big stuff now," Hans said to Elsa, looking down at her Head Girl badge. "And it looks like she was right. Head Girl. I must say I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Hans," Elsa said quietly.

"Who knew you had it in you?" Hans asked.

"Who knew _anything_ about you? Period," Gaston snickered.

Elsa blushed slightly.

"I'm sure Drizella told you who's Head Boy," Hans continued, pointing at a green and silver badge that read "Head Boy" on his own chest.

"Yes, she did. Congratulations."

"Who knew we had so much in common, eh Arendelle?" asked Hans. "Pretty soon we'll be ruling the school side by side."

Belle looked sternly at him. "So does that mean you only care about being Head Boy because it's another form of power for you to take advantage of?"

Hans pretended to look offended. "Why Miss La Beaute," he said in a sarcastic voice. "I'm surprised that you would think so little of me. Don't get me wrong, the power and the glory are by no means unappealing to me. But there are so many other great things that come with this opportunity. And I'm sure Arendelle has just as much to contribute as I do."

He said the last sentence in a tone that none of the girls, especially not Elsa, trusted.

"What are you getting at?" Rapunzel asked accusingly.

Hans took a few steps closer to Elsa. "Surely there's more to you than meets the eye. You're just afraid to loosen up and show off your abilities. Maybe being Head Girl will be enough to persuade you to want to leave your mark on Hogwarts."

Elsa gulped. Hans was making her feel uncomfortable, and not just because of his closeness. He was pressuring her the same way Drizella and Tiana had done. Only it was worse. Drizella had merely taunted her and Tiana was just being her usual slightly pushy self. Hans seemed to actually be accusing her of something and he seemed determined to find out what it was that she was hiding.

"Alright, that's enough," said Belle. "Elsa's personal life is no concern of yours, Hans."

"That's right. Now take your personal servant and go cause trouble somewhere else," said Rapunzel, gesturing towards Gaston.

Gaston shot Rapunzel an angry look. At that exact moment, a porky house elf with a round, snout-like nose appeared at Gaston's feet. He was struggling to keep his balance while carrying a large stack of spell books.

"LeFou's finished doing your shopping, Master Gaston," squeaked the elf.

Gaston barely noticed. "Fine, we'll leave now," he said to Rapunzel. He then turned on the house elf. "Don't go thinking you're finished with those, LeFou. You're going to be seeing a lot more of them throughout the year and then telling me what they're about."

The elf nodded. "Yes, Master Gaston. I live to serve you."

"Good, now let's go look at Quidditch supplies and leave this lot to read, paint, and cover their hands," Gaston said arrogantly to Hans.

"We'll see you at school, ladies," Hans said before they left. He approached Elsa again and whispered, "Especially you, Arendelle." And with that, they were off in the direction of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Elsa, Belle, and Rapunzel continued to the Leaky Cauldron, grateful to be away from the traitorous duo. They entered the pub through the back door and Belle led them upstairs to the room she had rented.

The moment they were inside, Elsa tossed her parcel of new robes aside and collapsed on the bed, relieved to finally be in a private area with the two people she felt safest around. Belle and Rapunzel let her relax for a few minutes before asking any question, which made her all the more grateful. After about ten minutes, she inhaled deeply and sat up on the bed.

Rapunzel sat down next to her. "Feel better now, sweetie?"

Elsa nodded. "A bit."

"You wanna tell us what's going on then?"

Belle sat down on Elsa's other side and sympathetically stroked her gloved hand.

Elsa explained that she had run into the wrong people all day. She told them about the incident with Drizella at Madam Malkin's, how Anna had practically forced her to join her for ice cream, and how she almost felt better until Tiana unknowingly pressured her by asking questions that were no concern of hers. She never mentioned why Drizella taking her glove and Tiana asking about the gloves scared her, but she knew Belle and Rapunzel well enough to know they would never burden her with questions that made her uncomfortable.

"And you pretty much saw the rest. Hans and Gaston and all," she finished.

"Well we're sorry you had to endure all that," said Belle. "That is certainly no great way to start your final year at Hogwarts."

"You're telling me," said Elsa. "But maybe that's just it. It's our final year and the Slytherins probably want to make sure it'll be an especially memorable one for me and them."

Rapunzel shook her head. "It can't just be you they're targeting. That Flynn Ryder buffoon tried to corner me today in Flourish and Blotts."

Elsa suddenly realized something. "Flourish and Blotts? Oh no. With all that's happened today, I completely forgot to buy the rest of my school supplies."

Belle patted her on the shoulder trying to calm her down. "Fret not, dear. Did you ask your parents if you could stay here with us for the rest of the holidays?"

"No," said Elsa. "And after today I'm not sure I want to anymore. In fact, I don't think I want to go back to Hogwarts at all. Not with all those awful Slytherins going around trying to ruin my life."

"Don't say that," said Belle. "You mustn't let them get to you like that. There's still so much to look forward to this year. Like being Head Girl."

"And Quidditch," Rapunzel added.

"And visiting Hogsmeade."

Elsa still had qualms against being Head Girl, especially knowing Hans was Head Boy. But she brightened up a bit at the thought of enjoying Quidditch and Hogsmeade with her two best friends.

"I suppose those are valid points."

"And remember," said Belle, "You won't be facing your problems alone."

"That's right. We'll be there for you," said Rapunzel.

Elsa smiled. "Maybe that's all I needed to hear. Thank you both. I swear you understand me more than anyone else, even Anna."

"Perhaps we just relate to you," said Belle.

Elsa knew she meant they related to her because they, like her, were social outcasts. Belle was a bibliophile who spent more time reading than anything else. As a result, she had not had many friends before arriving at Hogwarts. Rapunzel had had an overprotected upbringing, being raised by a muggle mother who had found out too late that she had married and produced a child with a wizard. Rapunzel had never set foot outside of her house until she'd received her Hogwarts letter (and pleaded with her mother to let her go).

So in a way, both girls truly did understand Elsa, though not as much as they thought because even they were unaware of Elsa's glaciatous powers. Elsa had longed to tell them over the years. But even in the wizarding world, where flying brooms and people turning into animals at will was the norm, there were some forms of magic that were feared and rejected.

"Well I'm glad I met you then," said Elsa. "I don't know how I would've gotten through the past six years without you."

"And we promise we won't let you down now," said Belle. "We'll talk to your parents and ask them if you can stay here with us. And tomorrow we'll shop for the rest of your school supplies, and we won't let any Slytherins near you."

Elsa smiled. "Thank you."

"Group hug," said Rapunzel.

The three girls threw their arms tightly around each other. Elsa truly felt much better, knowing that as long as she maintained control, kept her secret, and wore her gloves, her best friends would be there for her. Maybe the school year was off to a good start after all.

_End of chapter_


	5. Chapter 5: The Perfect Plan

_Chapter 5_

Some weeks later, September the first had finally arrived. It was nearly eleven o'clock. At King's Cross Station, Platform nine and three quarters, which was concealed from muggles by magic, was flooded with Hogwarts students. The bright scarlet Hogwarts Express sizzled calmly as everyone from nervous first years to confident seventh years gradually filled its passenger cars.

Hans South and Gaston Archer, however, were in no hurry to board the train. They were too busy lurking in the shadows and giving first years unwelcome looks. Naturally, the dangerous duo intimidated the small preteens simply by looking at them. But when Hans' Head Boy badge, which had been polished almost to the point blinding, came into view, the first years would run away in the opposite direction. Hans and Gaston delighted in this new power.

"I thought we were powerful before. This is priceless," Gaston laughed as their most recent victim, a small girl with long bonde hair, ran away from them as though she'd just seen a venomous snake.

"Not a bad way to start the year, I must say," Hans snickered. "If I'm not the most popular Head Boy Hogwarts has ever seen, I'll eat my hat."

"Ha! If popularity's your aim, you're not off to as good of a start as you think," said a familiar voice from behind him.

Hans turned to face three of his fellow Slytherins and Quidditch teammates. Flynn Ryder, Naveen Maldonia, and Adam Bastien were all well-built and good looking, much like Hans and Gaston. Flynn had brown hair, eyes, and goatee and a perfectly sculpted nose. Naveen had dark skin and hair and a "dreamy, exotic accent" as many girls had put it. Adam had clear, blue eyes and long, auburn hair. They were shallow, arrogant and overconfident, typical traits for Slytherins. As far as intelligence went, they stood at varying levels between Hans, who was a perfect student, and Gaston, who could barely read.

"Well, good morning, gentlemen," Hans said, shaking hands with each of the three boys.

Gaston did likewise, "Morning, fellows."

"Hope you all had good holidays, though probably not as good as mine," said Hans, pointing to his Head Boy Badge.

"Yeah yeah, Head Boy. Big whoop," said Flynn sarcastically. "So have you two seen Kuzco yet?"

Before Hans or Gaston could answer, there was a loud CRACK! The five boys flinched slightly as a sixth young man magically appeared in front of them.

"Ha! Boom, baby!" he shouted.

It was none other than Kuzco Emper, the sixth and currently last member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Kuzco, like the others, was good looking, but was smaller and much skinnier. He was tan skinned and had shoulder-length black hair.

Kuzco looked anxiously around at his friends, who were adjusting to the shock he'd given them. "Hey there they are! My main serpents!"

"Hello, Kuzco," Hans said holding his hand over his rapidly beating heart. "I gather you passed your Apparition test?"

"You know it, South," said Kuzco. "It's the most awesome feeling in the world! One minute I'm in my manor, the next I'm here with you fellas!"

"Yes, if you could only be that fast on the Quidditch pitch," Naveen half-joked.

Hans' face turned serious at the word Quidditch. "That reminds me. I'll be scheduling Quidditch tryouts soon. We need to find a suitable beater to replace Lyle," he announced.

Gaston smirked. "No tryouts necessary. Just choose someone at random. Anyone would make a better beater than Rourke."

The other five stared at him looking stunned. "Are you mad?" Adam asked. "Lyle was the best Beater Slytherin's had in over fifty years. Professor Weselton said so himself."

"Exactly, he always hogged all the attention away from me." Gaston provocatively flexed his enormous bicep. "No one should be a better beater than Gaston…"

Hans held a hand up to Gaston's face. "Archer, save it for those three girls who are always gawping at you."

Gaston pouted while the other boys exploded with laughter.

"Anyway," Hans continued. "I'll see if I can book the stadium some time within the next week."

"Fine, just please don't book it anytime before ten in the morning," Naveen complained. "Some of us need our beauty sleep."

"Come on, fellas," Flynn said to the rest of the group. "Let's get on the train already." He, Naveen, Adam, and Kuzco all made their way to the train. Before Gaston could join them, Hans grabbed him by the ponytail and pulled hard.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Gaston asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"No tryouts necessary?" Hans asked angrily. "What kind of stupid statement is that?"

Gaston looked back at him curiously.

"I need the best team I can possibly scrape up and in order to do that tryouts are, in fact, necessary," Hans continued.

Gaston raised an eyebrow. "Wow. The Quidditch Cup really means that much to you?"

"It means _something_ to me, but not as much as some other things," Hans said arrogantly. "Being Head Boy for example."

"What are you getting at?" asked Gaston.

Hans crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Do you remember my brothers? All twelve of them?"

Gaston nodded.

"Each and every one of them was a leader of some sort while they were at Hogwarts. Prefect. Quidditch Captain. Head Boy. You name it. They all had power and left their marks on the school. I've been living under their shadows for as long as I can remember. And I, for one, intend to change that."

"How so?" asked Gaston in an intrigued voice.

Hans smiled deviously. "Well, I've already proved my worth by becoming prefect, Quidditch captain, _and_ Head Boy, which none of my brothers have ever managed to do. And honestly, until a few weeks ago I thought that was good enough. But then I learned that Elsa Arendelle was Head Girl."

"Mittens?" Gaston asked. "What's she got to do with it?"

"What indeed," said Hans slyly. "I'm convinced that she's hiding something. Something she doesn't want anyone else to know about. And that's why she never takes off the gloves. I mean, why else would she freak out so much over Drizella snatching just one glove?"

Gaston quickly figured out what Hans was implying. "You mean like a weapon?"

"Something along those lines. And I intend to find out what it is and use it completely to my advantage."

Gaston smiled and then suddenly looked puzzled. "So where does having a perfect Quidditch team come in?"

"I know for a fact that our first match of the season is against Ravenclaw," Hans explained. "And what better place to get her to reveal whatever her little secret is than somewhere where the whole school is gathered?"

"Ah, I see your point," said Gaston. "Let them know she shouldn't be messed with and that you mean business."

"Exactly."

Gaston chuckled. "You, Sir, are an evil genius."

"You know it."

At that moment, the Hogwarts Express' whistle began to blow and whatever students were still assembled on the platform began to board.

"Well," Hans said to Gaston. "Duty calls. Better go find Arendelle so our _reign_ can begin." The two greedy boys chuckled as they boarded the scarlet colored train.

_End of Chapter_


	6. Chapter 6: Prefects

_Chapter 6_

The Hogwarts Express had been in full motion for nearly ten minutes now. Elsa, Belle, and Rapunzel had found an empty compartment and were now sitting quietly performing various activities. Belle had her nose buried in her copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_. Rapunzel had set her new pet chameleon Pascal on the windowsill and was drawing a picture of him in her sketchbook. The sound of her quill scratching on the surface of the paper was the only sound being made in the whole compartment.

Elsa simply stared out the window watching buildings and trees glide by, trying to remain calm by twirling her eleven-inch mahogany wand between her fingers. This was the environment she was comfortable with. She could keep to herself without having to force herself into isolation. It was really great to have friends who preferred to keep to themselves rather than butt into her personal life: something Anna could never understand.

The silence was broken when the compartment door opened. The three girls looked up at the intruder. It was Milot Thatch, a lanky seventh-year with light brown hair and round, ill-fitting glasses. He was Elsa's fellow Ravenclaw Prefect.

"Hello, everyone."

"Hello, Milo," the three girls said in unison.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I need to remind Elsa that she needs to be in the prefects' carriage with the rest of us," said Milo. "We lesser Prefects are required to take orders from the Head Girl."

Elsa sighed. She should have known the other prefects would have come looking for her. Prefects' duties were, after all, inevitable. She miserably got to her feet.

"Alright, I'm coming," she moped, looking apologetically at Belle and Rapunzel.

"You alright?" Milo asked as the two Ravenclaw prefects made their way to the front carriages.

"I was," said Elsa. "I'm just glad it was you who came looking for me instead of Hans South."

"It almost was him. He's not too pleased with you. I'd try to keep my distance."

"That's not much of an option for me. We're Head Boy and Girl and he's made it clear to me that he's looking forward to 'getting to know me' this year," Elsa confessed.

To her surprise, Milo gave off a small chuckle. "Good luck to him. We've all been barking up that tree for six years now. What makes him think he's got a chance?"

Elsa glared at him. She generally had nothing against Milo, but she hardly found her situation to be laughable. Milo cleared his throat and quickly apologized.

Minutes later, after enduring a typical parade of blank stares from other students (and a few glares and smirks from the Slytherins), they reached the prefect's carriage. The other Prefects were already present and were talking amongst themselves in the aisles of the corridor. They all went silent when Elsa and Milo entered the carriage. Elsa looked back at the twenty-two faces of her fellow Prefects. There were six from each house, two of each gender from the fifth, sixth, and seventh years. Elsa recognized nearly all of them, especially the seventh years.

From Gryffindor were Pocahontas Powhatan and John Smith. They were what many called the "class couple", as they were boyfriend and girlfriend. And they surely did make a lovely couple, mainly because they themselves were very beautiful. Pocahontas was of Indian descent and had dark, flawless hair that fell to her waist. John was tall and chiseled with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. It was only appropriate that they were both prefects.

The girl from Hufflepuff was Tiana Jackson, who looked at Elsa with rather sad eyes (perhaps because she felt guilty about hammering Elsa with questions at Diagon Alley). The seventh year boy was Kristoff Anderson. Elsa knew him rather well. He was Anna's boyfriend. Tall and burly with brown eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a rather large nose. He was stroking a scruffy brown cat that was meowing energetically in his arms.

And, of course, Hans South and Drizella Tremaine, who looked angrily at Elsa, were of Slytherin.

"Arendelle, Thatch, you're late," said Hans.

"Sorry," Elsa said calmly. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Tardiness doesn't look good on a Head Girl's record."

Milo closed the carriage door behind him and joined the rest of the prefects. Elsa walked to the front of the group to join Hans.

Hans cleared his throat and began his welcome speech to the other prefects. "Now then, welcome to all Prefects. Especially to you fifth years. Congratulations on your hard work and dedication…"

"Thank you," interrupted a voice in an unmistakable Scottish accent. Every eye in the carriage turned to look at the voice's owner: a fifth year girl with unruly curly red hair. Elsa had never met her, but she remembered seeing her at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. The girl looked as though she regretted interrupting Hans.

The look Hans gave her seemed to add to her regret. "You're very welcome, Miss…"

"Dunbroch," she said. "Merida Dunbroch."

"Miss Dunbroch." Hans scoffed and Elsa heard him say under his breath, "Stupid Gryffindor."

Elsa knew that there was an age-old rivalry between Gryffindors and Slytherins, but that comment was completely unnecessary.

"Anyways, your duties as Prefects will begin today and continue throughout the school year," Hans continued. "Today's duties include patrolling the corridors of the Hogwarts Express. See that the other students behave themselves. If you should catch any of them partaking in the uses of wizard novelty joke items (stink pellets, dung bombs, etc.), the item is to be immediately confiscated. This rule does not stop at the doors of the train. Keep your eyes, and noses, peeled at all times. Throughout the year, you will patrol the school corridors and see that students don't miss curfew. You reserve the right to deduct house points and give detentions as you see fit. And you may also feel free to use the Prefects' lavatory on the fifth floor. The password to which is 'Squeaky Clean'."

Merida Dunbroch suddenly erupted with laughter. "Squeaky Clean! That's priceless!" she chortled. She soon stopped when she noticed the stern looks the other Prefects were giving her. "Sorry."

"Miss Dunbroch," said Hans. "Is this how you treat all your superiors, or do you just get pleasure out of interrupting Head Boys?"

"No, I… I, uh…" Merida stammered.

"I take the honor of being a Prefect very seriously, and as Head Boy I expect others to do the same. Otherwise, I may just have to have a word with your head of house," Hans said threateningly.

Merida gulped and nodded sadly. Elsa could only help by feel a bit of empathy for her.

"You're dismissed to begin patrolling the corridors," Hans said to the whole group.

The crowd of prefects slowly made its way out of the carriage. Elsa was nearly out the door when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Thinking it was Hans, Elsa flinched and turned around quickly. She calmed, only slightly, when she realized it was Tiana.

"Take it easy, I'm not gonna kill you," said Tiana, offended at Elsa's reaction to her touch.

Elsa panted and said, "Right. Sorry. Did you want something?"

Tiana nodded. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about how I acted to you at the ice cream parlor. Anna made me feel bad about how harsh I was. And Charlotte wasn't too happy with me either."

Elsa looked back at her lost for words. She couldn't tell what was more out of the ordinary: that Tiana, who was usually sassy and stubborn, was apologizing or that Anna was upset that somebody had offended her, Elsa, by asking a series of personal questions. Anna herself was one of the nosiest people in the world.

"You okay?" Tiana asked when Elsa didn't reply.

"Huh? Oh yeah, fine," said Elsa. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize. But we should probably…"

Hans finished the sentence from behind them. "Get started on your rounds before you both end up in detention." He looked at Tiana. "Get lost, Jackson. Arendelle and I will be working alone."

Tiana glared at Hans. "You better watch that attitude of yours, South, or you'll just keep getting' worse."

Elsa watched speechlessly as Tiana stomped out of the carriage without looking back. No one had ever spoken to Hans South that way before, at least to Elsa's knowledge.

"She's got some nerve talking to me that way," said Hans.

Elsa could not have agreed more. Tiana had more nerve in one little finger than most of the other students, let alone Hufflpuffs, had in their whole bodies. Elsa already knew this. Just a few weeks ago she herself had fallen victim to Tiana's boldness and short temper. Now, however, she was actually giving Tiana credit for it. Elsa couldn't tell if it was because Tiana had just apologized to her or the fact that she had the guts to tell Hans to mind his attitude, maybe it was both. But one thing was for certain: she suddenly had a great deal of respect for Tiana and wished that she, Elsa, could possess such brashness.

"Now come on, Arendelle," Hans said. "We've got work to do."

All thoughts about Tiana suddenly vanished. Elsa, not liking the idea of patrolling the train alone with Hans, said, "Don't you think we'd cover more ground if we split up?"

"What? And miss our best chance of letting everyone know we mean business?" Hans said with a hint of a smile. "I think not. Now let's go lay down the law."

_End of Chapter_


	7. Chapter 7: The Sorting Ceremony

_Chapter 7_

By the time the Hogwarts Express reached its destination, it was nighttime. Elsa could not have been more relieved that it was finally time to leave the train. Patrolling the corridors with Hans had been as bad as she had anticipated, even if it had barely lasted an hour.

Hans had made it a habit of proclaiming, "Make way! Head Boy and Girl coming through! Hide your dung bombs!" every time he and Elsa entered a different carriage. Elsa couldn't tell if this was more humiliating than arrogant or the other way around, but she knew that if she had done the patrol alone she would not have done it this way. As if being with Hans the whole time wasn't bad enough. The last thing she wanted was her fellow students looking at her as though she were a pompous, attention-seeking bully like Hans rather than a socially impaired, glove-wearing coward. Leave it to Hans, who couldn't have cared less about the welfare of his fellow students, to callously announce her presence to so many people at once.

After her rounds had finished, she had rejoined Belle and Rapunzel and the three girls changed into their Hogwarts robes. She now stood on the platform of the Hogsmeade train station with the other two, dreading the rest of the year more than ever. She had already told them about how Hans had lashed out at Merida Dunbroch, how he'd made Tiana lash out at him, and every moment thereafter.

Belle scoffed. "That boorish troll doesn't deserve to be Head Boy. I've known that from the beginning."

"Seriously. You're already a better Head prefect than he is without even trying," Rapunzel said to Elsa.

Elsa half smiled. She knew as well as her friends did that Hans didn't deserve the title of Head Boy, but she hardly agreed that she was better. This must have registered on her face as Belle suddenly put a caring hand on her shoulder.

"Let's just forget about him and go enjoy the feast," she told Elsa.

Elsa, who had not had the opportunity to eat on the train, then realized how hungry she was and nodded. The three girls made their way to the carriages that carried students to Hogwarts castle. They got into an empty carriage, which almost immediately began to wheel up an uphill path.

Minutes later, Hogwarts, which was perched at the top of the hill, came into view. The three girls looked up at the magnificent castle in awe.

"Even after six years, it still takes my breath away," said Rapunzel.

"It's like something from one of my books," Belle agreed.

Elsa, though equally mesmerized by the size and splendor of the ancient castle, nodded silently. Even now, she could concentrate on little more than Hans, the other Slytherins, and how they were sure to find some way of ruining her life in the following year.

After the carriage ride, the girls joined the rest of the students in the Great Hall. It looked the same as always with its enchanted ceiling that reflected the stary sky outside, thousands of glowing candles floating in the air, four long tables for each of the four Houses, and a fifth table at the front of the Hall where the teachers sat. The students took their places at their respective House tables, which were glittered with the usual golden plates and goblets. Elsa was relieved that the Ravenclaw table was farthest away from the Slytherin table.

Before long, Professors Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the Deputy Headmistresses and Heads of Gryffindor House, entered the Great Hall. They were short, cheerful women who were capable of great magic despite their childishly innocent dispositions. They placed a simple wooden stool just a few steps in front of the teachers' table so the whole Hall could see it. On top of the stool was what many believed to be the world's oldest, filthiest hat. Everyone in the Great Hall was familiar with this hat. They'd all worn it once at some point of their lives. The Sorting Hat, which alone was responsible for sorting every first year student into his or her most appropriate house.

Elsa remembered her own experience with the Sorting Hat as if it had happened yesterday. She'd only been eleven years old. Her name was the second one called, after Gaston Archer, and she'd nervously trotted out of line and Professor Flora placed the Sorting Hat on her head. She was thoroughly aware of Slytherin's negative reputation and hoped that her glaciatous powers would not earn her a spot there. She'd worn the hat for nearly five whole minutes before it finally shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" She sighed and joined the applauding Ravenclaws at the table on the far left. Almost no one else that year had taken as long as she had. The Sorting Hat had barely touched Belle's head and had only been on Rapunzel's head for three seconds before placing them each in Ravenclaw. Hans had been sorted into Slytherin before the hat had touched a single hair on his head. That event had made a statement to Elsa, one that she'd expected the moment she'd received her Hogwarts letter. She was different from the other students.

After placing the Sorting Hat in its proper place, Professors Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather left the Great Hall. Less than a minute later, they returned. A long line of curious looking first years entered behind them.

The Sorting Hat then sang its introduction song that changed every year. Elsa was too deep in thought to listen, but it didn't matter. Even though the lyrics to the song always changed, the message was the same. The Sorting Hat could see everything inside the head of the person who had put it on. Gryffindors were brave, bold, and daring. Hufflepuffs were loyal, hard-working, and honest. Ravenclaws were clever, creative, and witty. Slytherins were ambitious, cunning, and sly. Blah, blah, blah.

Over the next hour, names were called, students were sorted, and the House members applauded their newest additions. Elsa was still too deep in thought to focus completely. During the sortings of the first few students, she was thinking about all the usual stuff that bothered her. Her secret glaciatous powers. Why she had to keep them a secret. How they affected her and the people she loved.

The first name she'd actually heard was, "Darling, Wendy."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The next names, which were all called together, made her focus on the sorting a bit longer.

"Dunbroch, Hamish. Dunbroch, Harris. Dunbroch, Hubert."

A set of identical triplet boys boldly ran up to the Sorting Hat. Their last name, as well as their mops of flaming red curls, made them seem familiar to Elsa. When they were sorted into Gryffindor, she looked over at the Gryffindor table. Merida, the fifth year Prefect whom Hans had given a hard time on the train, jumped up from her seat and proudly shouted, "YES! YES! THOSE ARE MY BROTHERS!"

This also made Elsa think, this time about how Hans had treated Merida. What if that incident was only the tip of the iceberg? Would Merida do something else later in the year that would make Hans angry? Would she still be a Prefect this time next week? Were any of the Prefects safe from Hans' arrogance and thirst for power?

"Foxworth, Jennifer."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Come to think of it, were any of the students safe from Hans? He was proud of his new power and he'd made it clear with everyone earlier on the train.

"Pan, Peter."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Parr, Dashiell."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pendragon, Arthur."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

But most of all, were the students safe from her, Elsa? She was in the same position has Hans and by now the entire school knew it. She didn't want them thinking she was like him, especially not these poor first years. She already has a reason to be feared that she was forced to keep a secret for that purpose. She didn't want to be burdened with another reason to be feared.

Finally, the last name was called. "Wonders, Alice."

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Sorting Ceremony was over, but Elsa's train of thought was not. So many questions and fears were spinning around in her head. Thinking about it all made her feel dizzy. She snapped out of it at the sound of Rapunzel's voice asking her a question she had not heard.

"What?"

"I said would you like a baked potato?" said Rapunzel.

This seemed like an awkward question until Elsa noticed that the Ravenclaw table was covered from one end to the other with delicious looking food.

"When did all this get here?" Elsa asked.

"About a minute ago," said Rapunzel in a questioning tone. "Didn't you hear Professor Merlin say 'Let the feast begin'?"

Elsa chuckled. "Uh, must've missed him. But yes, I'd love a potato. Thank you."

The food, as usual, was delicious, but it did not prevent depressing thoughts from penetrating Elsa's mind for the rest of the night.

_End of Chapter _


	8. Chapter 8: Helpful Advice

_Chapter 8_

Elsa and her friends had eaten their fill and now sat quietly as Professor Merlin, the Headmaster, gave his traditional welcome speech. He was a skinny old man with a white beard that almost reached the floor. He wore round glasses, pale blue robes, and a matching pointed hat. Many students considered him the most eccentric Headmaster that Hogwarts had ever known. Ravenclaw students adored him, as he himself had been one during his time at Hogwarts. He was wise and a skilled wizard, but he tended to be forgetful and clumsy. He was nothing short of a joke to the Slytherins. They loved criticizing him and laughing behind his back. Sometimes they were cruel enough to laugh to his face.

"Our school caretaker, Mister Grumpy, has asked me to remind you that there is to be no… no…" Professor Merlin made a serious face that looked as though he was thinking very hard. "Oh blast it all." He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

Elsa looked over at the Slytherin table. At least half the students there had hid their faces behind their hands to prevent it showing that they were laughing. A few, like Drizella Tremaine, didn't bother hiding their faces at all. Elsa frowned.

Professor Merlin squinted his eyes and read the paper in his hand. "Oh yes. Mister Grumpy has asked me to remind you that there is to be no magic or flying in the corridors. And that any detected dung bombs and various other novelties will be immediately confiscated."

All right, maybe Merlin was a bit absentminded. But he was not the worst Headmaster Hogwarts had known. Once or twice, Elsa had to wonder what it must have been like for him when he was a student. She was willing to be that he, like her, had been an outsider who was forced to endure bullying and teasing day after day. Perhaps this was a common thing in Ravenclaw House.

"Now, run along, everyone. And be sure to get a good night's rest," Merlin concluded.

Students at every table rose from their seats at that moment. Almost all of the older students left the Great Hall and ran off to their House common rooms. Elsa stayed behind with the rest of the Prefects, who were in charge of leading the first years to the common rooms.

After introducing herself to the first year Ravenclaws, she was given a small group that included Alice Wonders, the last girl who had been sorted. Elsa then led the group out of the Great Hall and up the many staircases that would lead them to Ravenclaw Tower. The group was generally quiet, apart from a few comments of astonishment or praise. Elsa was the most silent. Her mind still flooded with questions and uncertainties. Her powers. Her uneasy feelings about being Head Girl. Hans. Drizella. The other Slytherins. Professor Merlin. It was all too much for her to bear at once. She couldn't wait to lie down in her four-poster bed.

Several staircases later, the group arrived at an aged wooden door with a silver eagle-shaped knocker and no knob or keyhole. The eagle opened its beak and spoke in an airy voice that frightened the first years.

"In the dark, they arrive without being fetched. In the light, they are lost without being stolen."

The first years gave each other questioning looks. But Elsa was far too familiar with this knocker and its riddles. She answered almost immediately, "The stars."

The wooden door swung open and Elsa led the first years inside.

"There's no password then?" asked Alice Wonders.

Elsa had been in such a hurry to get inside that she hadn't heard the question. "What?"

"We don't need a password to get in? I head several people mention that on the train," said Alice.

"Oh," said Elsa. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin use passwords. To get inside the common room we have to answer the riddle the knocker asks us."

"Like, why is a raven like a writing desk?" Alice asked.

Elsa stared at the first year looking puzzled. "What?"

"Never mind."

Seconds later, they were in the Ravenclaw common room. The first years marveled at its beauty. The midnight blue ceiling that glittered with stars. The view from the arched windows. The enormous statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. This grand common room had always had this effect on first years. Elsa could still remember reacting the same way when she first walked into the common room for the first time. Even though she'd been nervous about her new school and being in the company of people she feared would find out her secret, she'd felt right at home in this wide circular room surrounded by blue and silver.

She instructed the first years about the dormitories and then found Belle and Rapunzel sitting in armchairs near a bookcase, each reading a book. Elsa pulled up a third armchair and joined them.

"You okay, sweetie?" Rapunzel asked, noticing how uneasy Elsa looked.

"I don't know anymore," said Elsa as she buried her face in her gloved hands.

"Oh come now," said Belle encouragingly. "Your duties today haven't been that strenuous."

Elsa shook her head. "Never mind strenuous. I'm just so scared. I can never stop thinking about those rotten Slytherins and how little they care about stepping on other people. I've seen Hans do it twice today and I saw how they don't even respect Professor Merlin. Just imagine what they could have in store for me." She shut her eyes and massaged her temples. "They're going to eat me alive this year. I just know it."

Belle and Rapunzel looked at each other wondering what to say next.

Before another word could be said, the common room door opened. Everyone went silent as a small woman who made the first years all seem like giants stepped lightly into the common room. She was dressed in a black silk robe and had sleek, shoulder-length black hair and large glasses that greatly magnified her brown eyes. Everyone in the common room, with the exception of the first years, knew this woman too well. Professor Edna Mode, Charms teacher and Head of Ravenclaw. Despite her size, she had a larger than life personality. She was fussy, especially about clothes, and hot tempered. She was both eccentric and formidable. Most students, therefore, tried found it difficult to approach her. Only Ravenclaws tended to see the better sides of her.

"Professor Mode," said Milo Thatch. "How nice it is to see you."

"Yes, it is, isn't it, Dahling?" said Professor Mode promptly. "No shush. I am here to see one person and one person only."

Elsa's eyes widened when Mode's eyes locked on her.

"Dahling!" Mode ran up to Elsa with surprising speed. She was grinning widely, revealing rather large teeth. "Professor Merlin told me our Head Girl was one of our own. And I simply _had_ to come and congratulate her myself!"

"Uh, thank you, Professor," Elsa said humbly. "But it really isn't…"

"Oh, but of course it is, Dahling!" Mode interrupted. "The last Ravenclaw to be Head Girl was me, myself, and I. And now, thirty-five years later, I get to see another be given the title. And she could not be more worthy. You are the three B's, Dahling: bright, brilliant, and beautiful. You deserve it more than anyone, especially that disgraceful troll Miss Tremaine. I don't know what I would have done if it was her."

Several students listening snickered.

"Well it's very kind of you to think so highly of me," said Elsa. "But I don't think I'm really that worthy. I'm not popular or…"

"Nonsense!" Mode snapped, her mood suddenly becoming stern. "Popularity. Heh! Was I popular in school? No! Did I let that run my life? No! I looked all of those naysayers straight in the eye and I said to them, 'sticks and stones may break my bones but I will run this school the way it deserves to be run'. And I did. And now, I am telling you to do the same. And do you know why?"

Elsa shrugged.

"Because I see much of myself in you," Mode continued. "A girl who faces the struggles and hardships of a friendless social outcast."

"She has friends," Rapunzel interrupted.

Mode waved her off. "Not now, Dahling." She looked back at Elsa and said, "But I can sense in you a fighting spirit and a heart that knows justice. These I know you will use to your advantage and be the best Head Girl Hogwarts has ever seen!"

Elsa stared back at Mode speechless. In the six years that she had known Professor Mode, it had never crossed her mind that they could share this connection. The connection of being misunderstood and victimized. But there was one thing Mode had overlooked. Elsa was not like Mode. Mode was far bolder. She could hear a person criticizing her and rub it off like water off of a duck's back. Plus, Mode wasn't a glaciatous. She could never understand what it must be like to live in fear of losing control of her emotions and accidentally hurting someone she cared about.

"Plus," Mode continued. "It would be nice to finally have something to rub in Professor Weselton's face. But that is beside the point. Now, I must leave. Good luck to you again, Dahling."

She walked off to the common room door, pushed it open, and was gone before anyone could say another word.

Elsa sighed deeply as she moped down lower into her seat. "Well that was uplifting," she said.

_End of Chapter_


	9. Chapter 9: Fire Seeds

_Chapter 9_

In the Great Hall the next morning, Elsa had to pinch herself several times over to prevent her face from falling into her oatmeal. She had gotten so few hours of sleep the night before. Her mind had been completely consumed by her usual collection of fears and worries. Worse yet, there was now a new problem weighing upon her mind. Professor Mode, who had overcome much when she'd been Head Girl, was expecting her, Elsa, to do the same. Anyone else would have been positively motivated by Mode's accomplishments. But Elsa was not anyone else. She was a glaciatous. And if her fellow students were to find out, she would be rejected even more than she was now.

She was close to falling asleep in her seat for the fifth time in a row when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Do try to refrain from falling asleep, dear," Belle said kindly. "The first day of classes requires being punctual and prepared."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna ruin your perfect record by falling asleep in class, would you?" Rapunzel teased.

Elsa was not in the mood for joking. She groggily asked, "What do we have today?"

Belle pulled out her timetable and examined it. "Our first class is Herbology."

"Yes!" proclaimed Rapunzel, whose favorite class was Herbology even if she was not the best student in the class.

Belle resumed reading the schedule. "And then Transfiguration, Charms, Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and then we wrap it all up with Potions."

Elsa shuddered at the word potions. "Just what I need. Ending the day with Weselton breathing down my neck like some kind of vulture."

"ELSA!"

The sound of Anna's distant voice calling her name made Elsa wince. "Speaking of vultures," she said quietly.

Moments later, Anna was by her side. "Hi, Elsa."

Elsa managed a weak smile. "Hi," she said in what she took to be a casual voice.

"Oh, and hello to you too… Elsa's bookish friend and Elsa's artsy friend," Anna said to Belle and Rapunzel.

"It's Rapunzel," Rapunzel corrected in a flat voice.

"And my name's Belle."

Anna ignored them and returned her attention to her sister. "So Elsa, did you sleep well?"

"Honsetly, I've slept better," Elsa replied curtly.

"I bet," said Anna, who seemed as energetic as ever despite Elsa's indifference. "The whole Head Girl thing must've had you so excited you couldn't get a wink of sleep."

Elsa looked at her younger sister through half-open eyes. "You could say that."

"Listen Anna, I don't think this is a good time," said Belle politely.

Elsa felt relieved to have a friend as loyal and defensive as Belle. But alas, Anna did not seem to have heard her.

"Anyway, which class are you looking forward to the most?" asked Anna.

Elsa sighed. "I couldn't tell you," she replied.

"Oh, tell me about it," said Anna. "There's so much to look forward to in every class. What with learning to fight off evil in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and turning things into… you know, other things in Transfiguration, and working with live plants in Herbology. It's enough to keep anyone on their toes. Though, I can't really vouch for Potions. Weselton is such a nosy creep, and I'm not just saying that because of his huge pointy nose. I mean am I right?"

Even though Anna was expecting response only from Elsa, all three of the Ravenclaw girls stared back at her speechlessly.

Elsa, who was now more eager than ever to get away from Anna, quickly came up with an excuse to do so. "Right you are, Anna," she said with a slight chuckle. "There's so much to look forward to in everything. In fact, I don't think we can take the suspense any longer." She arose from her seat without even finishing her oatmeal. "Come on, girls. Let's go see what fun-filled activity Professor Pacha has planned for us for today."

Belle and Rapunzel, getting the idea, also got up from their seats and threw their schoolbags over their shoulders.

"Right you are, Elsa," said Belle. "I heard today we're working with the Fire Seed Bush."

"Fire Seed Bush? I've been waiting three years to work with that," said Rapunzel earnestly.

"We'd better be on out way then," said Elsa. "Good to see you, Anna."

"But…" Anna began.

It was too late. The three Ravenclaws ran off towards the Great Hall's entrance so quickly, one would have thought they'd disapparated. They then ran out the school doors and towards the Herbology greenhouses. When they finally reached them, they realized they were too early for class. They sat down and tried to catch their breath as they waited for the other students to arrive.

"Elsa," Rapunzel panted. "I know your sister means well, but I don't see how it's possible that you two are related."

"Frankly, I concur," said Belle. "And if you'll forgive me for saying so, she was rather impertinent ignoring almost everything we said."

Elsa nodded. "Thank you both for your concern. And I'm sorry for her… overly social approach. I'll try to speak to her about it."

She knew Rapunzel was right, of course. Anna did mean well, but sometimes she had very little respect for peoples' personal space. She had not been quite as nosy as Tiana had been in Diagon Alley, but Elsa was not in the best of moods this morning. She was grateful to have gotten away from Anna before she'd let her anger get the better of her. It would have been horrible to repeat the error of hurting Anna with her powers, let alone in front of the entire school. Elsa shook these feelings off when the rest of the class began to arrive.

Minutes later, the whole class assembled in Greenhouse 6, where Professor Pacha was waiting. Professor Pacha was the Head of Hufflepuff. He was a large man with tan skin, dark hair, and a heart as big as his stomach.

"Good morning, class, and welcome to Greenhouse 6," Pacha greeted them merrily. "Now I've got a great lesson for you all today, but also a rather dangerous one. So I must ask that you listen well before we begin working."

"Eh, no sweat, Professor," said Kuzco Emper. "I'm hangin' on your every word."

Pacha raised an eyebrow. "I'll be the judge of that, Mister Emper. Now then, today we'll be gathering seeds from the Fire Seed Bush. Who here can tell me the values of fire seeds?"

Pocahontas Powhatan, who was thought by many to be the best Herbology student in the seventh year, raised her hand almost instantly.

"Miss Powhatan?"

"Fire seeds are used as ingredients in many potions, most notably the Antidote to Uncommon Poisons," Pocahontas explained. "But gathering them can be both risky and dangerous. As the name suggests, the Fire Seed Bush must always be on fire to live."

"Well explained, Miss Powhatan," said Professor Pacha. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now as you've just heard, the Fire Seed Bush is a dangerous plant that must always burn in order to stay alive." He moved a bit to his left to reveal a long wooden table. On which stood a long line of unusual potted bushes. The branches bore no leaves, but round, fist-sized seeds that were burning with fire but were not destroyed by the flames.

The class eyed the burning bushes with both fascination and fear.

Flynn Ryder raised a hand. "Um Professor?"

"Yes, Mister Ryder?" Professor Pacha asked.

"Please tell me we're gonna be using, like, fireproof gloves or something along those lines."

Pacha shook his head. "Sorry, Mister Ryder. But there's only one way to gather fire seeds, and that's with the freezing charm."

Elsa suddenly found herself paying closer attention. Professor Pacha withdrew his wand from his cloak pocket and pointed it at a seed on the nearest plant. "Like so," he demonstrated. "_Glacius_." An icy breeze blew from the tip of his wand and put the fire igniting the seed out. He then plucked the no longer burning seed from its branch with ease.

The rest of the class applauded, but the Slytherins were hardly impressed.

"You mean it is as simple as that?" asked Naveen Maldonia. "I fail to see how this task is remotely dangerous. I could do that in my sleep."

Professor Pacha smiled. "So sure of yourself, are you Mister Maldonia? Then perhaps you'd like to show us how easily you can do it. Come on up."

Naveen grinned and joined Pacha at the front of the class.

"Go on ahead, then," said Pacha.

"Yeah, show us how it's done, Maldonia," said Tiana Jackson, who was smiling slyly at Naveen.

Naveen confidently pulled out his wand and pointed it at a burning seed. "_Glacius_," he said. A slightly stronger blast of ice blew from Naveen's wand and instantly put out the seed's fire.

"Ha! You see? I knew told you I could…"

Naveen's confidence vanished when he noticed that the icy blast from his wand was starting to blow stronger. "Wh – What is happening?" he asked.

The entire class watched as the ice from Naveen's wand began to spread across the entire bush.

"Don't just stand there! Wave your wand! Make it stop!" Professor Pacha shouted in a panicked state.

Naveen tried to do as Pacha had instructed, but in his attempt to stop the spell by shaking his wand, he accidentally pointed the tip at the rest of the Fire Seed Bushes.

"MALDONIA!" Pacha yelled as the plants began to freeze.

"I can't stop it!" Naveen shouted. He shook his wand harder and harder until it the icy blast finally stopped. "Thank goodness," he sighed.

"Thank no such thing!" Pacha shouted. "The plants could be dying!"

"Oops."

"Leave it to me, Professor!" Hans South shouted.

The entire class watch as Hans pulled out his wand and pointed it at the dying bushes.

"_INCENDIO_!"

A shower of sparks and flames erupted from Hans' wand and ignited the Fire Seed Bushes. Within moments, the bushes were aflame once again. The other Slytherins applauded and Professor Pacha shook Hans' hand tightly.

"Good thinking, Mister South."

"Hey, I'm Head Boy," Hans said proudly. "It's my job to think fast."

Pacha turned to Naveen. "Mister Maldonia, how do you explain what just happened?"

Naveen was silent. It was hard to tell if he was too ashamed to admit that he was wrong in saying he could perform the task with ease scared that he almost killed a bunch of bushes. He looked down at his shoes miserably. Elsa noticed his face and, for the first time in living memory, she actually felt sorry for a Slytherin.

"Well," Pacha continued. "You're lucky I'm only docking Slytherin five points. And you're even more lucky I'm awarding Mister South ten."

Hans smiled a smile that reflected more arrogance than valor. "Thank you, Professor."

Even though Elsa had not been involved in this incident, she felt as though it was tied to her in some way. Naveen had lost control of a freezing spell and had thus almost caused an irreversible disaster. And then Hans had intervened and had "heroically" put an end to it. In other words, Naveen had just done what she, Elsa, had feared doing for half her life. If Naveen, who was not even a glaciatous, could easily lose control of ice related magic and nearly kill something as a result, who was to say that she wouldn't do the same? This whole accident seemed almost prophetic to her, especially the part about Hans intervening.

_End of Chapter_


	10. Chapter 10: Quidditch Tryouts

_Chapter 10_

Over the next week, the story of how Hans had singlehandedly saved the Fire Seed Bushes from freezing to death spread around the school. It had started during dinner the day the accident had occurred. The seventh year Slytherins, apart from Naveen who was still feeling ashamed of himself, had started telling the story to their housemates. Professor Pacha told the same story to the other teachers. The rest had followed suit.

The whole of Slytherin House had started to, if possible, praise Hans more than ever before. The only complaint they had about the incident was that Hans deserved more than just ten house points. Once or twice, a few first years had actually bowed to him as if he was royalty. The Head of Slytherin, Duke Weselton, bragged about Hans in front of every one of his classes. Since he was the Potions teacher, Hans' actions were particularly valiant to him because Fire Seeds were used in many of the potions he taught his students to brew.

After the first week of term had passed, the Slytherins were still gloating about Hans' quick thinking and heroism. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws however had had enough of it. Elsa had gotten the impression that Weselton had started bragging to the point of lying. One day while she was walking to the Great Hall, she'd passed a group of fifth years who were coming up from the dungeons, where Potions class took place. As they passed, she'd heard Merida Dunbroch say something to a friend.

"I swear if one word of what he said about South is true, I'll eat a dragon egg."

At breakfast on Saturday, Elsa looked over at the Slytherin table. Hans was surrounded by a flood of his fellow Slytherins, mostly first years. Elsa could not hear what he was saying, but she did not need to hear him to know what he was talking about. It was quite obvious that he was telling an exaggerated story of how the entire Herbology greenhouse had nearly been buried in snow and he had melted the whole of it with one wave of his wand.

Elsa ignored it and returned her attention to her porridge. Belle and Rapunzel were not as afraid to voice their opinions about Hans.

"I don't believe him," said Belle. "He's given a whole new meaning to the word arrogant."

Rapunzel lifted her goblet. "I'll drink to that." And she took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"We've only finished the first week of school and he's already become a living legend," Belle continued. "And for what? Lighting a few silly bushes on fire."

"I know. It's not like he saved a person's life or anything. And there he is acting like he just won an award for special services to the school," agreed Rapunzel.

"And Weselton has done no favors by glorifying him."

Elsa, who had not stopped thinking negatively about Hans since Diagon Alley, suddenly interrupted. "Let's just stop worrying about him for today. We have more important things to worry about."

This was true. Today, they were having tryouts for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. So far, the three girls were all that made up the team. They were the Chasers. The rest of the team from the year before had all graduated from Hogwarts. As team captain, Elsa's top priority was to find new Beaters, a new Keeper, and a new Seeker by the end of the day. For some reason, this seemed like a much less stressful task than those that being Head Girl had brought her. All she'd be doing was watching other people flying broomsticks and deciding whether or not they were good for the team.

"Right you are, Elsa," said Belle. "The last thing we need today is to have our thoughts darkened by the likes of Hans South."

After finishing their breakfast, the three girls changed into their blue Quidditch robes and made their way down to the Quidditch stadium. Quite a few of their hopeful new teammates were already there and were flying around chasing each other on their brooms.

"It's always nice to see a good turnout," Rapunzel said with a smile.

Elsa would have agreed had she not caught sight of one potential player whose presence was most surprising. Milo Thatch was standing a few yards away from them with a broomstick in one hand and, unless Elsa was mistaken, a Beater's club in the other.

Elsa's eyes widened. "Uh, Milo?" she half shouted.

Milo looked in her direction and waved hello. She made a hand gesture that indicated that she wanted him to come over to where she was. Milo nodded and approached the three girls.

"Hey, guys," he said casually. "Great day for flying, isn't it?"

It was indeed a great day for flying. Warm, clear, and sunny. But that was entirely beside the point.

Elsa cleared her throat and quietly said, "Milo, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

"The same thing everyone else is doing here: trying out for Quidditch," Milo said brightly.

Elsa raised her eyebrows. "I see. And the reason you're holding that bat is because?"

"Because I'm trying out for Beater."

This was too much for Elsa to comprehend. In the six years that she'd known Milo, she never considered him to be the athletic type. He was a nerdy, bookish, straight-A student whose idea of free time involved a cup of tea and a mountain of books. And if by some bizarre chance Elsa could picture him on the Quidditch pitch, the last thing she could see him doing was playing Beater. Physically, he did not meet any of the qualifications that made a good Beater. Beaters needed to possess upper body strength, of which Milo had very little. Certainly this had to be a joke.

"Milo, since when did you become the athletic type?"

All Milo could say in response was, "Hey, _Carpe Diem_."

Elsa looked back at Belle and Rapunzel, who shrugged their shoulders as if to say, "Well, as long as he's here."

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Elsa asked.

"Positive," said Milo.

After a moment's thought, Elsa decided to allow him to play. After all, it was only a tryout. She only hoped his feelings wouldn't be too hurt at the end of the day.

A few minutes later, all of the potential players had arrived. Quite a few people from other houses had come to watch and had seated themselves in the stands. To Elsa's horror, Hans and the rest of the Slytherin team were among them.

"Hello, Ravenclaw!" Hans shouted as the six boys took their seats. "Such an honor it is to grace you with my heroic presence."

Elsa, though furious, ignored him and began drilling her housemates. She, Belle, and Rapunzel soared around the stadium passing each other the bright red quaffle. All the while, she kept a sharp eye on the other players and quietly judged them on their abilities. She was not pleased with most of them. Several of them were physically qualified, but were either too stupid to play properly or were too distracted by the Slytherin team shouting insults at them.

Most likely, it was the latter. Hans and his fellow Slytherins had made it a habit of shouting disgraceful comments at the Ravenclaws. Most of the comments focused on Elsa, Belle, and Rapunzel.

When Rapunzel failed to score a goal, Flynn Ryder shouted, "Hey Bloom! Hook up with me and maybe you could play Quidditch as well as you paint!"

"Hey, Belle!" Gaston shouted at one point. "Time for you and your little friends to toss in the towel! Girls don't belong on the pitch! Why don't you go read a book about Quidditch instead?"

Hans was by far the worst. "I bet you feel lucky, Arendelle! This is the closest you'll ever get to having a social life!"

The more the Slytherins shouted, the harder it became for most of the players to focus. Not that it would have made much difference to Elsa. She was becoming less impressed with every hopeful player she drilled. She actually had to admit that Milo was one of the best Beaters she'd seen all day. He was quick on his broom and at least had good hand-eye coordination, which allowed him to keep bludgers at bay.

The only Beater who was as good as Milo was a heavily built fourth year named Kevin MacGuffin. He had the perfect physique for a Beater and could hit a bludger further than Milo. The only problem with him was that he spoke in a very thick Scottish accent that no one could understand. Elsa brushed this off quickly. It was not like he was in a position that required him to do much talking.

Jane Porter, a sixth year girl with light brown hair and blue eyes, was the only Keeper that Elsa was even slightly satisfied with. She was slightly built and agile, which was perfect for a Keeper, but had only managed to save half of the goals that the Chasers had thrown at her. Still, she was much better than the other talentless nitwits who had shown up.

Only one person had shown up for the Seeker position: an awkward, skinny second year girl whose face was almost completely hidden behind her sleek sheet of black hair. She was certainly light enough to be a Seeker, but she was timid and lacked confidence. She had barely made a sound when Elsa had asked her what her name was. Elsa could just barely make out, "Violet Parr." Clearly this Violet girl was shy. But she was the only one who had shown up, so Elsa gave her a chance. She was pretty good on a broom but rather than the insults from the Slytherins, Violet's distraction was her hair blowing in her face. This had affected her eyesight and caused her to lose sight of the Golden Snitch. But Elsa had to admit that this was the worst of her faults.

By late afternoon, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was complete.

Elsa summoned the team to the ground to congratulate them. She looked into the bright, happy faces of Belle, Rapunzel, Milo, Kevin, Jane, and Violet. "Well played, everyone," she said in a satisfied tone. "Especially you, Milo. I didn't think you had it in you. I'm really impressed."

"Thanks, Elsa," said Milo.

The sound of laughter erupted from the stands where the Slytherins were sitting.

"This is the Ravenclaw team?" Gaston howled. "It was enough of a laugh that we'd be playing against Mittens and her friends. But this is rich!"

Elsa frowned. She looked at her team and then the Slytherins, as if summing them up. She hated to admit it, but she feared that Gaston might have been right. The Slytherin team was composed entirely of well-built professional Quidditch players who embodied arrogance and unshakable confidence. Her new team was nothing compared to them.

Before the Slytherins left, Hans shouted, "Thanks for the show, Arendelle! We'll look forward to wiping the floor with your team, as soon as we find our new Beater!" And with that, he and his team left the stands laughing their heads off.

What should have been a great day for Elsa had turned out to be a lousy one. She mentally added "inferior new Quidditch team" to her ever-growing list of problems.

_End of Chapter_


	11. Chapter 11: The New Beater

_Chapter 11_

While Elsa struggled with worries about her new Quidditch team, the six boys who made up the Slytherin team sat in the Slytherin common room laughing their heads off.

"Arendelle calls that a Quidditch team?" said Adam Bastien. "I'd sooner believe it was a sewing circle."

"Too true," agreed Naveen. "I do not know much about the library, having never set foot in it, but I do hope there are enough books in there about Quidditch. Those Ravenclaws will need all the help they can get."

His teammates laughed wildly at his joke.

"They seriously expect me to consider that little girl who never says a word to be competition?" said Kuzco Emper, referring to Violet Parr. "I can already picture the day we play against them. Less than a minute after the whistle blows, the score'll be one fifty to zip."

"I'll drink to that," said Hans. He waved his wand haughtily. In an instant, six mugs and a bottle of butterbeer appeared in thin air. The bottle poured its contents into the mugs, which then floated into the hands of the six boys. Hans lifted his mug and said, "A toast. To our victory."

The boys all raised their mugs as he had and each drank, if anything, to their arrogance.

"Hey, maybe after we win, Bloom will be so upset I could actually manage to sneak a kiss onto her," said Flynn with a wink.

Naveen, Adam, and Kuzco laughed and punched Flynn on the arm. Hans, however, rolled his eyes. "Ryder, don't waste your time chasing after that little half-blood. You're above it."

Hans typically had nothing against his fellow Slytherins, especially those who were in his inner circle, but the way Flynn went public with his interest in Rapunzel repulsed him. Hans hailed from a prominent wizard family whose life goal was to keep their family tree "free of blemish". In other words, anyone with muggle blood in their veins. Like most members of Slytherin House, Hans looked down on anyone who associated with muggles in any way, and he had no qualms about cutting ties with even his closest friends.

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "What can I say? She's not bad looking."

Hans sighed. "You can do better than her, and I can help you with that. I mean, come on. You've got connections with me. Head Boy, Quidditch captain, school hero. Remember?"

"Yeah yeah," said Flynn unenthusiastically. "You're the man."

"What I mean is, if you want me to put in a good word for you with real women, just say the word," said Hans.

Flynn did not look convinced.

"Fine, be that way," Hans snarled. "Maybe when I rule this whole school, you'll actually listen to me," he added under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Adam.

"Nothing!" Hans snapped. And he left it at that.

For the next several minutes, the boys sipped their butterbeer in slience. They all knew better than to speak to or around Hans when he was in a less than pleasant mood. Flynn, knowing he was responsible for the anger in Hans' eyes, would not dare make eye contact with him.

Hans had to take several deep breaths before the disturbing thoughts about a friend of his being attracted to a half-blood diminished. This took nearly fifteen minutes to occur. But before too long, his mind was once again set on Quidditch and the comical state of the Ravenclaw team.

"You alright, Hans?" asked Gaston.

Hans had just barely heard him, but nodded. "Yes. I'm fine. Now listen up," he said, eager to change the subject. "I've spoken to Professor Weselton. Tomorrow, the pitch is ours. Ten o'clock sharp."

"Not that it'll be necessary," said Naveen. "We can beat Ravenclaw with what we have now. Why not let us have tryouts after that?"

He had said the wrong thing. Hans rose from his seat with an angry stomp of his foot. He glared at Naveen and said, "Don't even joke about that! We need a full, perfect team before our match against Ravenclaw and I intend to give us that! And if you won't take it seriously, don't bother playing at all!" He then turned on his heel and marched off to the dormitories.

The others, other than Gaston who understood the method to Hans' madness, were left in utter shock.

Naveen, whose pupils had dilated in fear, groaned. "Is there anyone who is not going to yell at me this term?"

* * *

The next morning, the team threw on their green Quidditch robes and headed down the stadium. By the time they arrived, only one hopeful new Beater member was present. The team was surprised, and slightly dismayed, when they got close enough to see who it was.

"Helga Sinclair?" Gaston blurted out when she turned to face them.

"In the flesh," she said confidently.

Helga was a sixth year. The current team members knew her by sight, but none of them knew her well enough to call her a friend or even an acquaintance. She, like Milo Thatch, did not meet the physical qualifications required for a Beater, which made her presence all the more unusual. She was radiantly beautiful with long blonde hair, dark red lips, and dark blue eyes. In addition to beauty, her appearance rang with haughtiness and pride.

"Are you trying out for the team?" Hans asked.

"Oh no," said Helga sarcastically. "I'm waiting for my owl to bring me a special package. Of course I'm here to try out for the team. And I happen to know I'm the only one who is, so if you don't mind I'd like to start showing you what I've got before the first match."

Gaston glared at her. "But you're a girl."

"Thanks for noticing," said Helga, taking a few steps closer to Gaston. "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Gaston showed no signs of being intimidated. "If you want my opinion…"

"Frankly I couldn't care less about your opinion," Helga interrupted.

"… Girls don't belong on the Quidditch pitch. Quidditch is a man's world and the Slytherin team has proven that for more than a hundred years. So why don't you just run along now and bake something?"

Helga shot him a dangerously sinister look. "It's only right that I warn you, Archer, that I grew up with five younger brothers. I've been in more fights and scraps than you've had hot meals. Nothing scares me and I'm never taken by surprise. I can beat away any bludger that comes my way. And I myself pity whoever's on the receiving end."

Hans raised an eyebrow. Somehow, he did not doubt any of what Helga had just said. If she was as good as she claimed she was, she would be a perfect new addition to his already excellent team. Better yet, she would be a perfect pawn in his plan to find out what Elsa had up her sleeve, or rather in her glove.

"Very well, Helga," he said. "You'll get your chance. Let's see what you can do."

Minutes later, the entire team had mounted their brooms and were up in the air. To Hans' relief and Gaston's dismay, Helga was as good as her word. She held her Beaters' club in a tight fist and could beat away a bludger nearly halfway across the stadium. Her girlish physique had no effect whatsoever on her ability to play Quidditch. If anything, he light weight actually worked to her advantage. She was more agile than Gaston, who could beat a bludger well enough but could not move as quickly as they could. Helga had stopped bludgers from hitting Hans, Flynn, and Naveen and had even save Gaston on a few occasions. After barely two hours of training, Hans was convinced she was the one.

"I think we've seen enough," he announced to the whole team. "You've proven yourself worthy of the team, Helga. Welcome aboard. I've never seen a better Beater in my life."

Helga smiled wickedly at Gaston, who pouted.

"Let's call it a day," Hans continued. "Helga, I'd like to have a private word with you. The rest of you can go off to lunch."

Gaston, Flynn, Naveen, Kuzco, and Adam marched off to the changing rooms. Hans waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Helga.

"Impressive work," he said to her.

"I figured you'd say that," she replied, running her graceful hand through her long hair. "My parents always said I was just one of the guys."

Hans could only help but chuckle. "They were right. But I'm not just complimenting your ability to hit a bludger."

By the smug look on her face, he could tell she was interested in what he'd said. "Go on. I enjoy being praised."

"You've got stealth, agility, and skill beyond compare. Never mind Beater, you alone could function as an entire team."

Helga was silent. She was getting too much enjoyment in hearing about her talents. She did not want to ruin the moment with meaningless words.

"Which is why I need you," said Hans.

"Of course you need me," said Helga. "Without me, you'd be stuck with that macho meathead Archer."

"Forget Quidditch," said Hans promptly. "I need you for something far more essential. Something I feel could benefit us both."

"I'm listening."

Hans looked around to make sure they were safe from prying ears. There was no one to be seen on the pitch or in the stands. He smiled and continued to speak.

_End of Chapter_


	12. Chapter 12: The Grey Lady

_Chapter 12_

On Saturday a few weeks later, Elsa sat quietly in an armchair in the Ravenclaw common room. She held a roll of parchment in one hand, a quill in the other, and on her lap was her copy of _Flesh Eating Trees of the World_. It was not uncommon for her, or any other student, to do her homework on a weekend. But today, the first Hogsmeade trip of the term, was not the proper day for it.

She looked around the common room. The other Ravenclaws were all dressed in their casual clothes and chatting with each other about what they would be doing in the village. Most excited were third years, as this was their first Hogsmeade trip ever. Belle and Rapunzel were nowhere to be seen amongst the excited crowd. Maybe they had already gone downstairs to the Entrance Hall. And Elsa would not have had it any other way. This meant that she would not have to tell them that she had chosen not go to Hogsmeade, even though she had long since turned in her signed permission form. It was not that she did not want to go. She loved nothing more than the thought of the sweet aromas of Honeydukes Sweet Shop or enjoying a butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks. But the other thoughts that were flooding her head were far more overwhelming.

She continued with her homework and was just about to finish a paragraph on Snargaluff pods when the sound of Rapunzel's voice hit her eardrum. Elsa looked up at the staircase that led to the dormitories. Bell and Rapunzel were just reaching the bottom step.

"I hope Honeydukes won't run out of Sugar Quills like last year," said Rapunzel. "I love sucking on them while I sketch."

Elsa hid her face behind her book, hoping they would not see her. It didn't work.

"Elsa?" said Belle's voice.

Realizing she was defeated, Elsa lowered her book back down onto her lap. She narrowed her eyes as Belle and Rapunzel approached her.

"Elsa, you don't look like you're ready," said Rapunzel in a singsong voice.

Elsa sighed. "I'm not going," she said. She shut her eyes to avoid looking at her friends' devastated faces.

Both Belle's and Rapunzel's voices rang in unison, "What?"

"I'm really sorry," said Elsa, nervously stroking the cover of _Flesh Eating Trees of the World_. She had come so close to not having to tell them.

"But why?" asked Belle. "We always have a marvelous time at Hogsmeade."

"I know, it has nothing to do with that," said Elsa. "I just want to be alone for a while."

"You're still upset about what Hans said at the tryouts, aren't you?" said Rapunzel, referring to Hans' insulting comments about the state of their now complete Quidditch team.

Elsa shook her head. "That's just one of about fifty things that are on my mind."

"But a trip to Hogsmeade may just help to take your mind off all those things," Rapunzel continued.

Elsa interrupted before the temptations of Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks reared their ugly heads. "I'm sorry, but my answer is no," she said in what she thought was a steady voice.

Belle and Rapunzel exchanged sad looks. Elsa knew they would not reduce themselves to begging. Nothing good would ever come from that, especially not when it came to begging Elsa.

Belle put an understanding hand on Elsa's shoulder. "We'll bring you something from Honeydukes."

Elsa winced in reply. Belle and Rapunzel swung their satchels over their shoulders and joined the other Ravenclaws, who began filing out of the common room. Elsa preferred not to watch them leave. The sound of excited voices diminished until the common room was deserted and silent. Once again, Elsa was left in isolation. Given the mood she was in, it was for the better.

About an hour passed. Elsa had grown tired of pretending she had been working on her homework and had set it aside. She knew by now that the whole of Ravenclaw Tower was empty. All of the first and second years, who were still too young to partake in the Hogsmeade trips, were either tending to their work in the library or, more likely, outside enjoying the sunshine. The only sound to be heard in the entire common room was the crackles of the dancing flames in the fireplace.

Normally, the fire would be useful now that the air outside had cooled in preparation for autumn. But since only Elsa, who was never bothered by cold, had occupied the common room at the moment, the flames were dancing in vain. If anything, all the fire did was disrupt Elsa's thoughts about the stresses of being Head Girl, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, Hans, and Slytherin House overall. She'd finally had enough of it. Without bothering to check to see if the coast was clear, she pulled off one of her gloves and gestured her bare hand towards the fireplace. An icy cold breeze and a swirling line of sparkling snowflakes blew lightly from her fingertips and the fire vanished. Finally she was alone with her thoughts, or so she thought.

Elsa almost fell from her armchair when a light, airy voice that seemed to be coming from behind her said, "What an extraordinary gift."

With a thumping heart, Elsa shot around to see the owner of the voice floating at least three feet above the floor. The ghost of a beautiful young woman with flowing, waist-length hair was looking back at her with an almost indifferent face. It was none other than the Grey Lady, the Ghost of Ravenclaw Tower.

Elsa was close to panicking. Other than her family, no person, dead or alive, had ever seen her use her glaciatous powers until this moment. She hurriedly threw her glove back onto her hand.

"I – I thought I was alone," she stammered.

"Forgive me," the Grey Lady replied curtly. She gracefully floated down to join Elsa's side. "Fret not," she said, noticing the worried look on Elsa's face. "Your secret is quite safe with me."

Elsa could only help but smile, in spite of the ghost's haughty disposition. "Thank you," she said with a sigh of relief.

The Grey Lady then said something that made Elsa's brief moment of happiness vanish. "It has been safe with me for the past six years."

It did not take Elsa long to figure out what she meant. "How did you know?" she asked desperately.

With the very slight hint of a smile, the ghost asked, "Have you forgotten who I was in life?" Elsa had hardly forgotten but the Grey Lady reminded her anyway. "Helena Ravenclaw: the daughter of the founder of Ravenclaw House herself. I may not have possessed my mother's unfathomable wisdom, but I hardly need her diadem to recognize when someone is concealing glaciation."

Elsa said nothing. How had it never crossed her mind that the ghost of her house, in whose veins flowed the blood of Rowena Ravenclaw, had been able to see through her, Elsa, when no others could?

"There is a simple question, though," continued the Grey Lady. "Why do you conceal it?"

Elsa had a feeling this was a rhetorical question. "I think we both know the answer to that."

The Grey Lady nodded. "You fear losing control of your powers and hurting someone you hold dear," she said without guessing. "I suppose it stems from a traumatizing past experience?"

Elsa shut her eyes. "Yes. My sister."

"Was it fatal?"

"No," Elsa replied. "But it came close."

"Hm," the Grey Lady said looking thoughtful. "One of the best ways that we can learn is from our past. And yet, it can also be one of the worst ways."

"And that's a fact," Elsa agreed.

"I've noticed the effect it has had on you," the Grey Lady continued. "In addition to concealing your powers, you isolate yourself from others. Yet for some reason, you do not isolate yourself from Belle la Beaute and Rapunzel Bloom. Why, may I ask, is that?"

Once again, someone was asking Elsa a chain of personal questions. However, for the first time in her life, she did not feel pressurized. She felt no need to refrain from answering them. Maybe it was because her only company was a person who was already dead. In other words, a person that she, Elsa, could do no harm to in case she lost control of her powers. On the other hand, it may have been that she was talking to someone who had known for years that she possessed secret powers instead of someone who wondered why she never removed her gloves. Either way, she found it easy to answer the Grey Lady's questions.

"I suppose it's because I feel a sort of connection between the three of us," she answered.

The Grey Lady raised an eyebrow. "They too possess glaciation?" Another rhetorical question.

"No," said Elsa. "But they know what it's like to be rejected by everyone around them."

"If that is true, do you fear they would reject you if they knew about your powers?" Finally a question that Elsa was afraid to answer had come up.

"I just hope they don't find out."

"That's not the answer," the Grey Lady replied promptly.

Elsa buried her face in her hands. "Well if the fear of hurting everyone you cared about haunted you day after day, don't you think you'd keep a few secrets?" she asked boldly.

After about a minute of total silence, the Grey Lady said, "I suppose you have a valid point." She did not sound entirely convinced that what she had said was true. "But at least now I know that your intentions are good."

Elsa looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well if a Dark Wizard or Witch possessed powers such as yours, they would use them to harm people intentionally, don't you think?"

Elsa considered this and nodded.

"And you, my dear, are certainly no Dark Witch," said the Grey Lady smartly.

"Of course I'm not," said Elsa, horrified at the thought. "But what are you getting at?"

The Grey Lady looked Elsa straight in the eye and said, "If you feel that everyone you love will reject you, you need only show them that you wouldn't dare use your powers to harm anyone intentionally."

In her mind, Elsa admitted that that did make a lot of sense. What had happened to Anna all those years ago had been an accident. She, Elsa, would never actually use her powers to hurt anyone. But at the same, the fear that Anna had been an accident scared her even more. Elsa had only been eight years old at that time and her powers were, if anything, developing. Yet even then, they were fatal. Now she was seventeen and her powers had gotten stronger with age. If she could almost kill a person as a mere child, heaven knew what harm she could do now.

"What am I supposed to do then?" she said quietly.

"That is your decision," said the Grey Lady. "But let me offer you this advice. Your powers can be used for good. You need only let it show."

Now Elsa truly was confused. The Grey Lady had just given her the exact opposite of the advice she'd been given by her parents for almost ten years. To make it more confusing, both sides had made very good points.

"And remember, life is too short. I should know," the ghost said, pointing to her translucent form. "No one deserves to live in fear forever."

Elsa considered this and nodded. Then the Grey Lady turned around to leave.

"Wait!" Elsa called to her.

She stopped and turned around.

"Thank you."

The Grey Lady nodded her head once and then disappeared through a wall on the opposite side of the common room.

_End of Chapter_


	13. Chapter 13: The Worst Hogsmeade Trip

_Chapter 13_

While Elsa remained secluded in Ravenclaw Tower, Belle and Rapunzel were tying to enjoy their first Hogsmeade trip without her. It was not an easy task. From the moment they arrived in the village, they showed little to no interest in shopping or dining. Even so, they had promised to bring Elsa something back when the day was done. This alone may have been their only reason not to end the trip hours before the other students.

They first stopped at Honeydukes Sweet Shop, which was always the most well attended shop during Hogwarts Trips. As they walked through the door, they knew something was wrong. It had nothing to do with the shop itself. The colors, the sweet aromas, the countless shelves stocked with everything from licorice wands to acid pops. None of them had changed since their last visit to Hogsmeade. In spite of it all, it did not feel right for there to be just the two of them.

"Do you feel hungry at all?" Belle asked.

Rapunzel, whose attention was set on a stack of Sugar Quills, shook her head. "Not even for my favorite things," she said sadly.

"I know what you mean," Belle replied while looking unenthusiastically at a shelf of Cauldron Cakes. "Normally I could never say no to them."

Rapunzel sighed. "Didn't we wake up this morning to the sound of our stomachs growling?"

Belle nodded. "Maybe it wasn't our stomachs as much as it was the anticipation of a great day with our best friend."

Thinking about Elsa being all alone in the quiet Ravenclaw common room almost made them forget that they were in a Sweet Shop full of laughing Hogwarts students.

"Well neither of us are hungry," said Rapunzel. "We'd better make this be about her then."

Belle agreed to this. They each grabbed armfuls of Elsa's favorite treats and went to the front counter to pay for them. As they stood in line, a horribly familiar voice squeaked from behind them.

"What the heck are you two nerds doing? Trying to rob half the shop?" To their disgust, the speaker was Dirzella Tremaine, who was once again flanked by her sister Anastasia. She had commented on the large stacks of chocolate frogs and coconut ice in Belle and Rapunzel's arms. "How about you leave some for those of us who matter?"

Rapunzel glared at her. "For your information, Tremaine, all this is for Elsa."

Drizella snorted. "Wow, who knew Mittens had such a sweet tooth? Then again, who knew Mittens?" She laughed arrogantly at her own joke. She was the only one to do so.

"Must you reduce yourself to childish name calling?" asked Belle.

Drizella ceased laughing. "Sticking up for your dopey little friend, huh?" She then noticed that the "dopey little friend" was not present. "Where is Mittens anyway?"

"She didn't come," Belle replied curtly as she and Rapunzel poured their purchases on the shop counter.

Drizella looked as though everyone had forgotten her birthday. "Aw, but I was looking forward to publicly humiliating her."

Anastasia remained awkwardly silent, just as she had during the unfortunate episode in Madam Malkin's. Evidently she was trying to decide if it was better to defend Elsa or ridicule her for the sake of pleasing her repulsive sister.

Belle and Rapunzel paid for Elsa's sweets and waited for the cashier to bag them.

"Why didn't she come?" Drizella continued.

"If you're really that desperate to know, she caught something horrible," Rapunzel said as she took her bag of coconut ice from the counter.

"Let me guess. Glove rash?" Drizella chuckled.

"No, something far worse," said Rapunzel as she and Belle proceeded to the door. She waited until they were outside before answering, "Your face," and slamming the door before Drizella had time to react.

The two girls took refuge in The Three Broomsticks. They sat down at a table for two and each ordered a butterbeer. They each sipped from their mugs. The butterbeer was as delicious as ever, but it still didn't make up for the absence of their best friend. The more they thought about it, they did not fully blame Elsa for choosing not to come. Drizella and the other Slytherins would have loved nothing more than to ruin what would have been a great day for Elsa.

"I feel so bad for her," Belle said, staring down at the foaming, gold colored liquid in her mug.

"Me too," said Rapunzel. "The nerve of those Slytherins. It's like they don't have anything better to do than ridicule Elsa. What's she ever done to them?"

Belle shrugged. "They're the worst of it, but we both know they're not the only ones. You saw how she reacted in Diagon Alley when Tiana Jackson confronted her."

"And that sister of hers isn't exactly helping either," Rapunzel sighed.

The suddenly, as if by magic, Anna Arendelle herself appeared next to their table smiling nervously. Belle and Rapunzel shot her questioning looks.

"Uh… Hi, Elsa's friends," said Anna with a small chuckle.

"Can we help you?" asked Belle, slightly upset that Anna had yet again forgotten their names.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you knew where my sister is," Anna continued. "I've been wanting to hang out with her since terms started and I figured a Hogsmeade trip would be the perfect time to do it, even if it meant being with you two since I hardly know anything about you except that you're as socially impaired as she is. Oh, and I mean this in the nicest possible way. Anyway, I knew I'd find her if I could find you, since you three are all inseparable and all. So I came in here and saw you two and not with Elsa, so… Do you know where she is?"

Belle and Rapunzel were rather taken aback Anna's rant. They each looked back at each other with wide eyes. It was clear that the same thought was on both their minds: Anna was extremely talkative and even more impetuous. It was not only that she could never remember their names, but also that she never seemed to think before she spoke. It was truly a wonder that she and Elsa were so closely related.

"Well we're sorry, but your sister isn't here," said Belle.

"Oh, is she in the bathroom?" Anna asked innocently.

"No, we mean she's not here at all," said Rapunzel.

Anna looked as though she was deep in thought. "Oh I get it, she's in a different shop. That's weird. Since when does she go anywhere without you two?"

Belle and Rapunzel had to restrain themselves from rolling their eyes.

"No, no, no," said Belle, trying her hardest to sound patient. "She is not here in Hogsmeade. She's back at Hogwarts."

Anna looked hurt. "Wait, what?"

Rapunzel nodded. "It's true. She's got a lot on her plate at the moment and she needed some time to herself. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Time to herself?" Anna repeated sadly. "As if she doesn't get enough of that at home. Why does she always do this to me?"

"I wouldn't take it personally," advised Rapunzel. "In case you haven't noticed, she kind of does it to everyone."

Anna looked at Rapunzel with narrow eyes. "That's not true. She never gives you two the cold shoulder. Why is that?"

"Well for one thing, we're in the same year and the same house," said Rapunzel. "Even if she wanted to give us the cold shoulder, it'd be easier said than done."

"And more importantly," Belle added, "we understand her and she understands us. Rapunzel and I have both endured being rejected and misunderstood, just as she has. You know how the old saying goes: birds of a feather flock together."

Despite these valid reasons, Anna still looked crestfallen. "Then why can't she flock with birds from her own nest?"

Belle and Rapunzel, though still questioning whether or not they cared for Anna, both gave her sympathetic looks. Neither of them had any siblings. They could not imagine what it must have felt like to grow up with sisters who pushed them out of their lives. But they did know what it was like to be friends with Elsa and they knew what she was going through. Or at least they thought they did. So they offered Anna the best advice they could.

"If I may make a suggestion," said Belle, "I think you should try putting yourself in her shoes. She's the laughing stock of the whole of Slytherin House just because she never removes her gloves."

Anna looked thoughtful. "Yeah, that is pretty sad."

"On top of that," Rapunzel added, "she's juggling the pressures of being Head Girl and Quidditch Captain. And I don't know if you've seen the state of our team this year."

Anna shook her head.

"You will in a few weeks when we play Slytherin."

"We understand you wanting to be with your sister," said Belle. "But you've caught her at a really bad time."

"Well what other choice do I have?" asked Anna, now on the verge of tears. "Elsa's leaving Hogwarts at the end of the year."

"We can't tell you what to do," said Rapunzel. "But we think it's best for you and Elsa if you just be patient with her."

Anna said nothing. Her face reflected the apparent pain she was feeling inside. She nodded, thanked the two girls for their advice, and turned to leave. As soon as she was out of earshot, Belle and Rapunzel each let out a long sigh.

"She may be annoying, but I feel kind of bad for her," said Rapunzel.

"I was thinking the same thing," said Belle.

They looked down at their half-empty mugs and realized that their butterbeer had gotten cold during their conversation with Anna. Normally this would have been a minor problem during a trip to Hogsmeade. But today, it was actually the highlight of the entire trip.

_End of Chapter_


	14. Chapter 14: Potions Class

_Chapter 14_

Two weeks passed. The castle was abundant with anxious chattering about the first Quidditch game of the term: Ravenclaw versus Slytherin. Students from all houses were making wagers on which team would be victorious. Some were certain they even heard teachers making wagers. It seemed that the only ones betting on Slytherin to win were Slytherins themselves. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and of course Ravenclaws were all hoping Elsa and her team would take home the gold.

Elsa had gotten the team training at least three times a week in preparation. They had endured struggles and obstacles, the worst of which had involved Milo Thatch accidentally hitting Kevin MacGuffin in the mouth with a bludger. The damage had not been permanent, but it had left a rather nasty mark on Kevin's lip. When this news had reached the Slytherins, they laughed and made snarky comments such as, "Not like he was much of a talker anyway."

By the end of the last training session, even Elsa had to admit that the team had improved drastically. Milo could manage to hit a bludger without causing any injuries. Jane Porter could block almost every goal the Chasers attempted. But the Seeker had shown the least improvement. Violet Parr still lacked confidence. She could fly well enough, but the curtains of sleek hair that draped over her face obstructed her vision. On a few occasions, her teammates had to hint to her that the Golden Snitch was nearby. While the rest of the team had gotten compliments, Elsa had asked Violet to acquire a hair band of something else to keep her hair out of her eyes.

"But then everyone will be looking at me, and I'll be able to see them," Violet protested quietly.

Though she understood Violet's discomfort at the thought of several people looking at her, Elsa made it clear that the Seeker had to have perfect vision. So Violet promised to do something about her hair before the match against Slytherin. With this in mind, Elsa was finally able to manage a smile. Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance against Slytherin. That, at least, was one burden off her shoulders.

Ever since her private conversation with the Grey Lady, Elsa had been deeper in thought than usual. Oddly enough, they weren't exactly bad thoughts this time. The Grey Lady had said many wise words that had made Elsa reconsider her entire situation. The most important part of the conversation was that Elsa was no Dark Witch, which meant she would never dream of intentionally doing any harm with her powers.

For some reason, these thoughts seemed to consume her more than ever during Potions class on Friday. Professor Wesleton had the seventh years making a Sleeping Draught. He had put everyone into pairs. Elsa was working with Rapunzel, the latter doing most of the work because the former was too deep in thought. This, unfortunately, had not gone unnoticed by Weselton.

"Ahem, Miss Arendelle," he said, looking over her shoulder to examine her work.

Elsa snapped out of her train of thought. "What? What happened?" she asked, looking as though she had just awoken from a dream.

Weselton frowned and crossed his scrawny arms. "Unless you wish to spend your first Quidditch match of the year writing an essay on the Sleeping Draught, I advise you to pay closer attention to how it is brewed properly."

Professor Weselton, at least physically, was not an intimidating man. He was quite old and was shorter than almost all of his students, except the first years. He had a diminished build and a long pointed nose. But what he lacked in appearance, he made up for ten fold in personality: strict, short-tempered, nosy, and biased against everyone but Slytherins. Knowing this, Elsa nodded in response to his comment and turned her attention back to her and Rapunzel's cauldron. She felt pressure leave her as Weselton left her side.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked as soon as Weselton was out of earshot.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elsa said, throwing a sprig of Valerian into the cauldron. She completely overlooked Rapunzel shooting Belle, who was working just a few feet away with Milo, a concerned look.

"Aha! Excellent, boys!" Weselton half-shouted moments later.

Everyone's heads turned in the direction of his voice. He was standing by Hans and Gaston, who seemed to have already finished brewing their Sleeping Draught. A light stream of purple smoke was drifting upwards from their cauldron.

"Beautiful work, I say," Weselton continued. "But of course, what did I expect from Hans South; one of the best pupils in the entire school, Head Boy, and the one who saved all those Fire Seed Bushes from freezing. Take ten points, Mister South. And ten to you, Mister Archer, for being his partner."

Hans and Gaston grinned cockily at their accomplishment and praise. The other students moaned quietly. Weselton was still going on about Hans' "heroic actions" after an entire month?

"Would you like us to see exactly how well it works, Professor?" asked Hans.

Weselton shook his head. "Best we don't test it here, Mister South. This potion is very powerful and we can't have anyone falling asleep around here."

Almost immediately, a high-pitched voice coming from the back of the classroom said, "Uh oh."

All eyes in the room turned to Charlotte La Bouff, who was holding a small vial of purple Sleeping Draught. Her partner, fellow Hufflepuff Aurora Briar, looked pale and was breathing heavily as if she was about to be sick.

Professor Weselton, who looked as though he did not really need an explanation, glared at Charlotte. "What do you mean 'uh oh', Miss La Bouff?"

Before Charlotte had the chance to answer, Aurora fell from her seat and onto the floor. She did not get up. Everyone arose from their seats and gathered around her. A few of them knelt down on the floor to examine her. Her eyes were closed and she was completely still.

"She sampled the potion, didn't she?" Weselton hissed at a very worried looking Charlotte.

Tiana, ignoring Milo's order not to touch Aurora, grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to shake her. This had no effect. Aurora's eyes remained stubbornly shut. But that was not all.

"She's not breathing," Tiana said in a trembling voice.

Wesleton marched over to Charlotte and Aurora's cauldron and examined the potion within, which Elsa noticed was a darker shade of purple than Hans and Gaston's brew.

"Miss La Bouff," said Weselton, whose voice was growing more furious by the second. "It was you who added the sprigs of lavender to the potion, am I right?"

"Yes, Prfoessor," said Charlotte nervously.

"And exactly how many did you add?"

Charlotte looked thoughtful. "Uh, five I believe."

Weselton turned on her. "You stupid girl! Didn't you read the book? The potion requires no more than four sprigs of lavender! Otherwise this happens!" He pointed at Aurora's unconscious form.

"I'm… I'm…" Charlotte began.

Weselton held up a hand to stop her. "Ten points from Hufflepuff for your sheer stupidity. And another ten for testing the potion without my consent…"

"Now hold on, Professor!" snapped Tiana.

Everyone in the class gaped at her.

"E – Excuse me, Miss Jackson?" Weselton stammered.

"You have no right to say that to Charlotte!" Tiana continued. "It's not her fault! She just made an honest mistake! And you also have no right to take away points for testing the potion! You should've told us from the start that we weren't supposed to…"

"NOT ANOTHER WORD, MISS JACKSON!"

Weselton's screaming voice made everyone else shudder, but Tiana had not even winced. She simply glared back at him panting heavily through her nostrils. Once again, Elsa looked at her feeling envious of her boldness. Snapping at Hans had been one thing. But blatantly yelling at the teacher that no one would dare cross? That was something entirely different.

"Make that another fifteen points from Hufflepuff for your rudeness," Weselton said to Tiana. "And unless you want to lose any more, I suggest your stop looking at me like that."

Tiana, showing a hint of reluctance, looked away.

"That's better. Now Miss Jackson and Miss La Bouff, take Miss Briar up to the Hospital Wing before either of you does anything to land you in detention."

Without hesitation, Tiana and Charlotte each grabbed one of Aurora's arms and dragged her out of the classroom. As they left, Elsa could have sworn she heard Tiana cursing about Weselton under her breath. She found herself admitting Tiana more and more by the minute.

Minutes later, the bell rang. Weselton sent the class away with a dismissive wave of his hand. Elsa, relieved to get out, was almost at the door when…

"Miss Arendelle, I'd like just a moment."

Elsa froze in her tracks, wondering what in the world Weselton wanted to see her for. She told Belle and Rapunzel to go on without her and then turned to face Weselton.

"Don't worry girl, you're not in any trouble," he said in a bored tone. "On the contrary I wanted to apologize."

Elsa looked stunned. "Apologize?"

"Yes, for threatening you with an essay on the Sleeping Draught. I mean don't get me wrong, your brew was nothing compared to Mister South's." As if Elsa needed to be reminded of that. "But after that disastrous performance from Miss La Bouff and that unnecessary outburst from Miss Jackson, I realize that students do in fact come far worse than you."

Elsa had to hold her tongue to hold back the number of things she would have loved to say to him right now. For one thing, Charlotte had just made one mistake. And it was not as if she had poisoned Aurora or had purposely added the extra sprig of lavender. For another, Tiana's outburst had been far from unnecessary. She'd actually been right in saying that Weselton should have warned them at the start of class not to test the potion. Her actions may have cost Hufflepuff several points, but it must have been worth it to get those feelings off her chest. To Elsa's mind, no one, especially not Hans, was more heroic than Tiana.

"Well, I humbly accept your apology," Elsa said in a steady voice, though inwardly she was anything but steady.

"Good, good," Weselton replied brightly. "Oh, and please don't think too badly of me."

No promises, Elsa thought.

"The last thing I wanted was to try to keep you from your Quidditch match tomorrow. I wouldn't dream of actually sabotaging any team that played against Slytherin. I was just trying to get you to concentrate on your work."

"Well, I guess you managed then," said Elsa with a forced smile.

"Yes. And anyway, Ravenclaw needs as many players as they can now that Slytherin have added Miss Sinclair to the team," said Weselton. "I've been watching her in training, you know. She's quite phenomenal. But I dare say you and your team will put up a good fight."

"Oh, we will," said Elsa.

"Excellent. Now run along. And good luck tomorrow."

Elsa turned and half-ran, half-marched out of the classroom. Any thoughts she'd had that day about her powers and the talk with the Grey Lady had vanished. There was only one thing on her mind now, and that was sheer hatred of Weselton and anyone who had anything to do with Slytherin.

_End of Chapter _


	15. Chapter 15: Ravenclaw Vs Slytherin

_Chapter 15_

Elsa's mood did not change overnight. The next morning at breakfast, while the rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was chatting excitedly about the upcoming game, Elsa glared angrily at the Slytherin table. Her insides were burning with rage at the sight of the endless parade of green and silver banners and scarves. She hated the way the Slytherin team was sitting so casually with those superior smug looks on their faces. Hans was in the center bragging about how this was the best team Slytherin House has ever had. Helga Sinclair was seated at his right. She seemed proud to be taking in the moment of glory that came with being part of the team. Elsa hoped she enjoyed it while it lasted.

"Hi, Elsa."

Once again, Anna had appeared from nowhere. She was not alone this time. Her boyfriend, Kristoff Anderson, was by her side stroking his fuzzy brown cat.

"Hi, Anna," Elsa said, returning her attention to her toast.

Anna, who clearly knew her sister would try to brush her aside again, said, "We won't stay long, I promise. I just wanted to say something."

Belle and Rapunzel, who were sitting across from Elsa, went quiet.

Elsa dropped her toast back onto her plate and looked up at her sister. "I'm listening."

Judging by the way she was fidgeting with her right pigtail, Anna was nervous. "Uh… I just wanted to say good luck with the match today."

"Thank you," said Elsa flatly.

"And also… Uh…" Anna was now fidgeting with both pigtails.

Kristoff put his hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Based on what little Elsa heard, she could have sworn he said, "Go on. Just tell her exactly how we practiced it." But whatever he said, it seemed to have increased Anna's confidence by a small portion.

"Okay," she said, more to herself than anyone. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I've been so… You know, nosy lately."

Elsa's eyes went wide. "You are?"

Anna nodded. "I didn't mean to invade your personal space or anything. I just wanted to spend time with you, but I guess I was trying too hard. And it didn't help when Tiana confronted you in Diagon Alley. I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that."

Elsa was rather touched by Anna's apology. But she'd forgotten all about that little incident with Tiana after seeing her justly confront two Slytherins without a trace of fear.

"Actually, I think you should…"

Elsa wanted to tell Anna that she'd forgotten about the Diagon Alley incident and that Anna should forgive Tiana, but a sudden distraction made her forget everything else. Over at the Gryffindor table, Merida Dunbroch was reprimanding one of her triplet brothers for pulling a prank that involved a mouse. At the mention of the word "mouse", Kristoff's cat lifted its head up. Its tongue was hanging hungrily out of its mouth. In an instant, it jumped from Kristoff's arms and made a beeline for the Gryffindor table in pursuit of the mouse.

"Sven! Sven come back!" Kristoff called after the cat.

"And on that note, we'd better get going," said Anna. "Bye Elsa. And good luck again."

Before Elsa could say a word, Anna and Kristoff ran off shouting for Sven to get out of Merida's hair. The rest of the Great Hall heard this. Many heads turned to watch Merida, Anna, and Kristoff attempting to yank the anxious cat from Merida's wild hair. Elsa chose not to watch. She heard an eruption of laughter coming from the Slytherin table. She clenched her fists angrily knowing that the whole of Slytherin House was laughing at something that involved her sister. She hated them more than ever.

"That's it," she said to the rest of her team. "We are taking those jerks down today. We'll teach them to laugh at my sister."

She had no way of knowing this, but Belle and Rapunzel were no more concerned about her than ever.

An hour later, after a frightening speech from Elsa about how the Slytherin team was nothing more than a band of selfish, stinking lowlifes who deserved to lose, the Ravenclaw team was mounting their broomsticks and flying onto the Quidditch Pitch. As they did so, the voice of Audrey Ramirez, a fourth year Gryffindor girl who was commentating, echoed throughout the stadium.

"Hello one and all! Welcome to our first Quidditch match of the term here at Hogwarts! Please join me in welcoming the Ravenclaw team: Arendelle, La Beaute, Bloom, Thatch, MacGuffin, Porter, and Parr!"

The stands roared with the cheers and applause of Ravenclaw supporters. Nearly all of them were holding up banners and scarves of blue and silver. The team waved happily to their friends and admirers in the crowd. They even made sure to wave to Professor Mode, who was seated next to Audrey.

"And also," Audrey continued, "It is my dismay, I mean delight, to introduce to you the Slytherin team: South, Ryder, Maldonia, Archer, Sinclair, Bastien, and Emper!"

Elsa's eyes narrowed as seven green blurs charged out onto the pitch. She was glad she wasn't the only one who was feeling disgusted at their presence. An even blend of boos and cheers (though it was really only even because the Slytherins were much louder) filled her ears. She felt motivated by this. If Ravenclaw won, only the sorry Slytherins would be upset. Everyone was behind her and her team all the way.

At that moment, Wilhelmina Packard, the grumpy and elderly referee, flew in between the two teams.

"Arendelle, South, shake hands," she said in a bored tone.

Elsa and Hans approached each other. Elsa stuck out her gloved hand to Hans and he did likewise. They both looked at each other with anger in their eyes as they shook.

"Wow, Mittens," said Hans with a chuckle. "I guess you're taking baby steps. Last time we played, you were afraid of shaking my hand. Pretty soon, the gloves will be a thing of the past, huh?"

Elsa glared at him. "Why don't you mind your own business for once in your life, South?"

Hans opened his mouth to retaliate, but Packard interfered.

"I'm sorry, I must be in the wrong place. I thought this was a Quidditch match, not the Dueling Club. Now both of you get in your places. And don't let me catch anything like this happening again."

Elsa and Hans joined the rest of their teams in their positions and waited for the game to begin. Moments later, Mrs. Packard released the Quaffle and the game had officially started.

"And they're off!" Audrey announced. "And that's Flynn Ryder of Slytherin in possession of the Quaffle. Looks like he doesn't plan on passing it to his fellow chasers. Eh, typical Slytherin. Thinks he's a one-man show. And there's Rapunzel Bloom of Ravenclaw right on his tail. Oh how the tables have turned. She's finally chasing after him and it's not in the way he'd like it to be."

"Dahling, don't do that," came Professor Mode's annoyed voice.

"Sorry, Professor, it was just too tempting," said Audrey.

It turned out Audrey had nothing to be sorry about. Flynn had been so distracted by these words that Rapunzel managed to get the Quaffle from him with no difficulty.

"And Ravenclaw takes possession. It's all Bloom. She passes to Arendelle. She's almost there. Slytherin's new Beater Helga Sinclair sends a Bludger attack!"

The Bludger from Helga hit Elsa in the back of the head. She dropped the Quaffle, which Hans caught barely a second later. Rubbing the back of her head, Elsa shot a furious look at Helga. Helga merely smirked and continued on her way.

"And Slytherin's back in position. There goes our blessed 'school hero' Hans South. And he certainly intends to live up to that title. That's a goal for Slytherin."

The Slytherins in the stands burst into applause. Hans waved arrogantly to his adoring fans. Elsa shook this off and promised Hans from afar that he wouldn't be smiling like that for much longer.

But ten minutes later, she was no longer sure of that. The score was eighty to twenty with Slytherin in the lead. Neither of the Seekers had shown any sign of having found the Golden Snitch, even though Violet Parr had taken Elsa's advice and gotten hold of a hair band. The worst part was that Helga had, as Professor Weselton had predicted, put up a good fight. The Ravenclaw Chasers had barely been able to hold onto the Quaffle for more than a few seconds. Wherever they went, she and one of the Bludgers were there.

At this point, Elsa had become more impatient than ever. She was tired of being hit by Helga's Bludgers and was even starting to wonder if this was some kind of setup. Gaston had not hit a single Bludger throughout the entire game. What was with Helga?

But she did not have time to dwell on this. After Slytherin's last score, Jane passed the Quaffle to Elsa, who was determined not to lose it courtesy of Helga. What happened next happened so fast that Elsa thought someone had momentarily sped up time. Before the Quaffle even had the chance to touch her hand, a blur of yellow and green zoomed past her right before he eyes. She missed the Quaffle, which Belle caught, but Elsa had hardly noticed. She was too worried about her suddenly bare hand.

"Lose something, Mittens?" Helga called back to Elsa, holding her glove in her tight fist.

Elsa gasped. She covered her hand up with her sleeve and furiously chased off after Helga. The Slytherin supporters were laughing from the stands. Elsa heard Drizella Tremaine's voice screaming to the others, "See? I told you Mittens had hands!"

Helga was a good flyer. Elsa couldn't catch up with her. Despite not getting her glove back, that was actually not bad. After an endless and distracting chase, Helga left Elsa in the dust and flew over to Violet, who seemed to have found the Snitch. Elsa was now more curious than angry, but this did not last. Now that the Snitch had been found and it was the Ravenclaw Seeker who had found it, Helga had moved on from the Chasers and was now trying to sabotage the player who meant the difference between Ravenclaw's victory and their defeat. Elsa watched as Violet dodged Bludger after Bludger for more than a minute. Before Helga could get too bored, Kuzco appeared and got far ahead of Violet in pursuit of the Snitch. More than anything, Elsa wanted to race over to Helga and distract her from the Bludgers. But before she could even consider turning this desire into action…

"NO!" screamed Audrey. "EMPER'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH!"

Slytherin had won. And they had hardly earned it. The Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs in the stands hissed and booed louder and more angrily than they had all day. The Slytherins' reactions could not have been more different. They cheered, laughed, and quite a few even burst into tears. Elsa could see Weselton dancing stupidly in the crowd.

The two teams dismounted their brooms and gathered together on the ground. Instead of joining the Ravenclaws, Elsa marched over to where the Slytherins were cheering and high-fiving each other.

"That's not fair!" she shouted, loud enough so at least half the crowd could hear her. "They don't deserve to win like that! Sinclair was keeping Violet from getting to the Snitch!"

"Elsa, stop!" called Anna, who was running onto the pitch to stop her sister. "Don't provoke them!"

Elsa ignored her. "This team doesn't play fair! They don't deserve to be here!" She lifted her hand, which was now a fist, into the air. "YOU SLYTHERINS ARE ALL AWFUL!"

She swung her hand at the dishonest Slytherin team and shards of ice shot out of her fist and flew right towards them.

_End of Chapter_


	16. Chapter 16: Silent Goodbyes

_Chapter 16_

Everyone in the stands watched in horror as Elsa's magic caused shards of ice to shoot up from the ground, nearly piercing the entire Slytherin team. All seven of them jumped back. The icy spikes just barely missed penetrating their bodies. They looked back at Elsa, their faces reflecting either shock or terror. They weren't the only ones. The entire Quidditch pitch had suddenly gone so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Elsa, whose anger had been replaced with horror at what she had just done in the blink of an eye, threw her gloved hand over her mouth. Her heart was pounding like a drum. Her eyes were refusing to blink. She could feel every eye in the entire stadium fall on her. Her own eyes were glued to the lethal icy shards that she had accidentally created. This was the worst moment of her life. It was as if the entire world had stopped turning and she was trapped in this traumatizing moment.

At long last, Hans boldly broke the silence. "I knew you were hiding something! You've been caught in the act!"

"No." Elsa thought she had said this out loud, but no one could hear more than a mumble.

"That girl is a glaciatous! And a dangerous one at that! She's a monster!" called a voice from the crowd. Elsa hadn't seen the owner of the voice, but she knew it was Weselton.

Elsa nervously looked around. Everyone in the stands was standing stock-still and staring at her, clearly horrified at what she might do next. She turned her head to her right to look at Anna, who was only a few yards away looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

"Elsa," Anna said in barely more than a whisper.

Elsa next turned to her left to face her team, all of whom looked as scared as the people in the stands. Most of them took a step back as if they expected her to shoot icy shards at them as well. Elsa didn't mind this as much as she minded Belle and Rapunzel staring back at her with fear in their eyes. Her only friends in the world and now even they were afraid of her.

Fearing that she might accidentally hurt someone again, Elsa began to run for the stadium's exit.

"Elsa!" called Anna's voice.

"No!" she called pack panting. "Stay away from me!"

"Elsa!"

But Elsa ignored her. She ran off of the pitch as fast as she could and made a beeline for the castle. She needed to find the Grey Lady.

By the time she burst through the front doors, she was completely out of breath. But she never stopped running. She ran all the way through the entrance hall, up several flights of stairs, and finally up the tight spiral staircase until she finally reached the door that led to the Ravenclaw Common Room. She breathlessly rapped on the eagle-shaped knocker.

"Can one produce something from nothing?" asked the knocker.

"What?" asked Elsa. The last thing she was in the mood for at the moment was to solve a silly riddle. Not to mention, this was one she could not answer. But she was not in a position to wait for someone to come along and answer it for her. "I don't know! Just let me in! Please!"

But the knocker did not respond and the door did not budge.

Elsa was beginning to panic. She needed to get inside to get to the Grey Lady. She rapped on the knocker again, hoping it would ask her a different question. No such luck. Once again, it asked if one could produce something from nothing.

Starting to get desperate, Elsa threw her head around and screamed at the top of her lungs, "HELENA! HELENA RAVENCLAW! WHERE ARE YOU?" When the beautiful ghost was nowhere to be seen, tears began to pour from Elsa's eyes. "HELENA! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, PLEASE ANSWER! HELENA!"

Before she could get too desperate, the beautiful ghost of Ravenclaw's daughter emerged magically through the sealed door.

"Be of sound mind, Elsa," she said. "What's the matter?"

"Oh thank goodness," Elsa said quickly. "Something serious just happened. I need to talk to you alone."

Although Elsa was panicked and tearful, the Grey Lady's expression remained indifferent. "Very well," she said. "Rap on the knocker. I'll help you enter if you wish."

Elsa rapped on the eagle-shaped knocker a third time.

"Can one produce something from nothing?" asked the knocker yet again.

Almost immediately, the Grey Lady answered, "A phoenix always rises from the ashes."

The knocker complimented the Grey Lady's logical reasoning and the door swung open. Elsa ran into the common room. The Grey Lady followed her. As soon as the door behind them was shut, Elsa fell to her knees and cried harder than ever.

"Now what's happened, my dear?" asked the Grey Lady.

"Oh Helena, it's awful!" Elsa shouted, pounding her fist against the floor. "They know! The whole school knows I'm a glaciatous!" She showed the Grey Lady her ungloved hand.

"How did this happen?" asked the ghost.

Elsa sniffed. "It's a long story, but I was mad at them and I just lost control! And the whole school saw it!"

"And what did you do?" asked the Grey Lady, still speaking in the same indifferent voice.

"The only thing I could do, I ran," Elsa replied.

And she threw her hands to her face. She waited for the Grey Lady to respond. When she didn't, Elsa looked up at her as though she was vaguely asking for some form of sympathy. The Grey Lady, however, merely looked back at her with an expressionless stare. Elsa could not tell if the ghost was searching her own mind for the next words to say or if she was simply angry. Whichever it was, it was of no help to Elsa.

After several silent seconds, Elsa boldly shouted, "Well, what am I supposed to do?!"

The Grey Lady showed no qualms about being shouted at. "I have already given you the answer to that question," she said. "I told you only weeks ago. You must show your loved ones that you do not mean to do them any harm."

Elsa glared at the ghost. "Haven't you been listening? I almost killed the whole Slytherin team! And _everyone_ saw it! It's too late to show them that I don't mean to hurt them!"

She took deep, even breaths through gritted teeth. With every word that escaped her lips, she realized that she had made more mistakes than she'd realized. It was not just that she had revealed the powers that she had concealed for more than ten years, but she had gone against the best advice she had ever been given. She had defied both her parents' and the Grey Lady's wishes.

"If that's how you truly feel, then I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do," said the Grey Lady. "I have offered you all that I can. You now must decide for yourself."

This advice was no help at all. Elsa was in far too much of a bad mood to make her own decisions. But if the ghost of one of the wisest women in the world could not give her any more words of wisdom than she already had, she had no other choice. She shut her eyes and thought for herself for the first time in her life. She examined her situation thoroughly. She was afraid of hurting someone, everyone thought she was dangerous, and she had no knowledge of how to control her powers. Then it occurred to her. She could not hurt anyone if she was alone.

"I have to get away from here," she said quickly. "I need to go somewhere where everyone can be safe from me."

The Grey Lady simply said, "Who am I to stop you? I'm only a ghost." It was clear from the tone of her voice that at heart she did not concur with Elsa's plan.

"Well thank you for understanding," said Elsa.

The Grey Lady nodded once, as she often did at the end of a conversation.

"Goodbye, Elsa. I do hope when the time comes, you'll remember my words." And on that note, she vanished from sight.

Elsa ran up to her dormitory and changed out of her Quidditch robes. She threw on an outfit that was good for traveling and threw what little she could into her satchel. Then she removed her glove from her hand, no longer seeing the point in wearing it, and set it down on her bed to show that she was leaving for good. Perhaps Belle and Rapunzel would want it to remember her by. The entire process had taken just over five minutes. She took one final look at the dormitory she had shared with her best friends, then the common room that had always been her home away from home, and walked out the door.

She ran back down the many staircases, all the while terrified of being seen by anyone. Luckily for her, everyone seemed to still be outside. Presumably they were afraid of going inside and being confronted by "the monster". This is how it appeared, at least until she reached the third floor. She had not even set foot on the landing when she heard voices coming from down the floors' corridor. Heart pounding, she threw her back against the wall and tried not to make a sound.

"We must keep looking!" snapped Professor Weselton's voice. "There is a violent glaciatous running loose somewhere in this castle and our students will not be safe until she is found and expelled!"

Elsa knew the "violent glaciatous" he was referring to was her. Now she knew she was in danger. The teachers had apparently organized a wild goose chase. And she, Elsa, was the goose.

"Don't you think you're taking this too seriously, Duke?" asked Professor Merlin's voice.

"What? Too seriously? Are you daft, man? Did you not see what just happened? She nearly killed my House Quidditch team!"

Professor Mode mumbled something under her breath. Elsa could have sworn she'd said, "Yes and we all know what a _terrible_ loss that would be."

"Now Duke, I'm sure she had no ill intentions," said Merlin. "But of course we will never know until we are able to locate her."

"Well when we do, she'll pay for the damage she's nearly done! You mark my words!"

Elsa could not bear to hear anymore. To her relief, the voices seemed to be moving farther down the corridor. As soon as they were gone, she continued down the staircases. At least now she did not have to worry about running into any of her fellow students, who seemed to have been kept outside until… Until what? The teachers gave some sort of "all clear" that signaled that Elsa was nowhere to be found? Refusing to consider this, she ran faster and faster down stairs, through the Entrance Hall, and out the front doors.

Once she was outside, she looked over at the Quidditch stadium. Even though the match had ended at least half an hour ago, the stands were still filled with chattering students. Elsa sighed. This made everything easier for her. She would be able to escape into the seclusion of the Dark Forest without being seen. And that's just what she did. No longer feeling the need to run, she threw her satchel over her shoulder and slowly marched across the green lawn adjacent to the tall trees of the Dark Forest. The sight of the forest sent a chill down her spine, but she had no alternative. She could not stay at Hogwarts and she could not go home, where her parents would reprimand her (or worse) for unleashing her powers.

Before moving into the shade of the frightening trees, she took a final, long look at Hogwarts and mentally said goodbye. That was all. She'd said no formally goodbyes to her friends, teachers, or even her sister. But it was for the best. And she was gone.

_End of Chapter_


	17. Chapter 17: Friends' Concerns

_Chapter 17_

Late that night, Belle and Rapunzel sat side by side on a sofa in the Ravenclaw common room. They were alone. The rest of the Ravenclaws were sound asleep, no doubt suffering from nightmares about what they'd witnessed that day at the Quidditch match. Belle was clutching Elsa's glove in her hands. They'd found it on Elsa's bed hours earlier when the teachers had announced that after a thorough search of the school, Elsa was nowhere to be found. Her Quidditch robes had been thrown carelessly onto the floor of the girls' dormitory, her satchel and most of her clothes were missing, and there was no note. These had all contributed to the confirmation of Belle and Rapunzel's greatest fear: Elsa had run away.

"I don't believe it," said Belle, her gaze fixed on the lone glove in her hand. "She's really gone."

Rapunzel didn't reply. She seemed to be more interested in her sketchbook. Her large, green eyes were staring sadly down at a single page. And she had good reason to be sad.

"Remember when I drew this one?" She held up the sketchbook for Belle to see.

A tear almost escaped from Belle's eye. She knew that sketch too well. Rapunzel had drawn it in their first year. It was poorly drawn relative to the rest of Rapunzel's sketches from over the years. Years of being squashed beneath dozens of other papers had taken a toll on the page. But at the moment, both girls had to admit that it was their favorite of Rapunzel's sketches. It was of the two of them standing on either side of Elsa, all of them had their hands on each other's shoulders. They were smiling back at the older versions of themselves.

Belle nodded in response to Rapunzel's question. "Oh yes, I remember."

"I haven't looked at it for years," said Rapunzel in a crestfallen tone. "So much has changed since then, and I don't just mean how we've changed physically."

"Never mind how much has changed since _then_," said Belle. "Think about how much has changed since this morning. Both have the same outcome. We've learned our best friend's secret and we've lost her because of it."

"I know," said Rapunzel.

For the next few minutes, neither of them said a word. Their minds were flooded with mutual thoughts about Elsa and how they had only just found out why she had always avoided people.

Rapunzel stared back at the hand drawn, eleven-year-old Elsa. Each of her tiny, gloved hands was happily squeezing the hand drawn Rapunzel and Belle's shoulders. The present day Rapunzel wanted to smile at this memory, but the vision of those same seemingly innocent hands sending shards of ice flying across the Quidditch stadium and almost killing seven people wouldn't stop haunting her.

Whatever amount of sympathy they had felt for Elsa suddenly vanished. In its place were now feelings of anger and betrayal. It was not that they feared Elsa like the rest of the school seemed to, though they had felt a hint of fear at first when they'd seen Elsa nearly kill the Slytherin team. But they were Elsa's best and only friends. And she'd kept her glaciatous powers a secret even from them.

"I can't believe she never told us," said Rapunzel, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Belle looked at her. "Neither can I. You'd think she'd surely tell us of all people."

"All these years we thought we knew her. And in just a few seconds we find out she's been lying to us since the day we met her. Who does she think she is?"

An airy, disembodied voice answered this question. "Perhaps you should consider her feelings more than your own."

The two girls jumped. They looked around the common room in pursuit of the voice's owner. The Grey Lady magically appeared in front of them, making them both gasp.

"You startled us," said Belle, placing her hand over her pounding heart.

"Yes, I suppose I do tend to do that, unintentionally of course," replied the Grey Lady. "Now forgive me for overhearing, but I understand you find yourselves at odds with Elsa Arendelle."

Belle and Rapunzel briefly glanced at each other wondering how to explain their situation. The Grey Lady, however, was one step ahead of them.

"Let me save you the trouble of explaining," she said. "I have known Elsa's secret since the moment I first saw her."

At first Belle and Rapunzel were stunned to find this out. They, like Elsa, had to remind themselves that in life, the Grey Lady had shared a family tree with one of the wisest witches the world had ever known.

Belle could only help but chuckle lightly. "I might've known nothing could get past you," she said with a very small smile.

The Grey Lady did not return the smile. She seemed intent on sticking to the conversation. "Are you angry with Elsa?" she asked.

Neither of the girls replied directly. They were both angry with Elsa for keeping such a secret from them of all people, but they did not want to admit it out loud. At least not to anyone but each other.

The Grey Lady did not seem to need words to make sense of this situation. "I understand. You'd rather not admit it, but deep down you feel hurt and betrayed. Am I right?"

Belle nodded and Rapunzel winced.

"Well I can't say that I blame you," the ghost continued. "Yet at the same time, can you truly blame Elsa for keeping such a thing secret from you?"

After a moment's pause, Rapunzel answered, "Well why shouldn't we? We were open books with her. We told her everything, even our deepest secrets and thoughts. Don't you think we have the right to feel offended because she didn't treat us the same way?"

The Grey Lady raised an eyebrow and folded her arms in front of her chest. "In her defense, I doubt either of you could possibly conceal secrets that can compete with hers. She has powers that many people, even in our world, don't understand. She fears more than anything that she will hurt those she holds dear, like she once did to her sister. It is obvious that she is haunted by her past. She worries that history will repeat itself. And I should know, she told me herself."

These were all valid points; neither Belle nor Rapunzel could deny it. They were a bit offended that Elsa even shared her secret with a ghost rather than with them. But this was the least of their concerns.

"I suppose you're right," said Belle. "We understand being outsiders, but we could never understand what she must have been through in her life. It must be far worse than being ridiculed for reading books every minute of the day."

"Or being raised by an overprotective mother who's afraid of any form of magic," Rapunzel finished.

The Grey Lady nodded in comprehension. "Yes, Elsa told me she related to you two in that way. She said that's why she shuts the entire world out yet remains faithful to you. You understand each other because you each are, in your own way, an outcast."

"She really said that?" asked Rapunzel, who now felt more guilty than ever.

"Yes," said the Grey Lady. "So naturally it must be difficult, even painful, for her to know that the entire school fears her, including her only friends in the world."

Belle looked down at the unresponsive floor. "We don't fear her, not now anyway."

"Well I'm sure it must have seemed that way to her, especially considering how much she was crying."

Belle and Rapunzel turned to the ghost looking both confused and slightly upset.

"How do you know she was crying?" Rapunzel demanded.

The Grey Lady said nothing. She allowed the two girls to figure it out for themselves.

"You saw her?" asked Belle. "You saw her come up here?"

"And you saw her running away and you didn't do anything to stop her?" asked Rapunzel.

The Grey Lady, as she often did, remained calm, dignified, and indifferent in spite of the two girls' protests against her actions. "How could I have? I'm merely a ghost."

"But you could have at least said something to her," said Rapunzel.

"I did, Miss Bloom," the Grey Lady said in a reassuring tone. "I have long since told her what she must do to mend her problems. But she needs to decide how to do it on her own."

"What do you mean?" asked Belle.

"What did you say?" asked Rapunzel.

The Grey Lady held up a hand to silence them. "All in good time, my dears. I have no control over her whatsoever. I can only imagine what will become of her. But I do know that she is a kind spirit and I am sure you both feel the same way."

Belle and Rapunzel exchanged brief smiles, indicating that they agreed with these words.

"And she is clearly no fool. Why else would she have been sorted into our noble house?" asked the Grey Lady. "If she is as kind and as intelligent as we believe she is, then she will know when the time comes for her to make amends. And in the meantime…"

The sound of the common room door opening made all three of them turn. They watched as the door swung open to reveal a tall, dark figure standing in the corridor outside.

"I thought everyone was inside," Rapunzel whispered curiously to Belle, who shrugged in reply.

They squinted their eyes to get a better look at the shadowy figure, but to no avail. All they could tell was that it was a young man. Before they could make out anything else, the door closed behind him. He then strode further into the common room and pulled out his wand from his robe pocket. To their horror, he then pointed his wand at them as though he was about to jinx them.

"I'll make this easy for you," the figure said in a voice Belle and Rapunzel were too familiar with. He walked closer to them. When he stopped, he was finally close enough for them to establish his identity. "Tell me where Arendelle is and I'll spare Ravenclaw Tower," said Hans.

Belle and Rapunzel looked back at him with large, terrified eyes.

"H-How did you get in here?" asked Belle, reaching into her pocket hoping to feel the handle of her wand.

Hans rolled his eyes. "Oh what? You Ravenclaws think you're the only ones around here who can answer a riddle?" He looked almost amused when he said this.

The Grey Lady glared at him. "You have no business here, Slytherin! Leave this tower at once or you'll have the Bloody Baron to answer to!"

Hans did not look at all threatened by this statement. "I'm supposed to be afraid of someone who can't even touch me? That's a laugh." He looked back at Belle and Rapunzel, who each had their own wands pointing at him. "Now where's Arendelle? If anyone knows, it's you two."

"Your guess is as good as ours, South," said Rapunzel.

"You're lying!" Hans bellowed. "You're hiding her, I know it!"

"We're not hiding anyone or anything!" shouted Belle.

Hans sighed. "I should've known you two would try to defend her. And I should've known you'd want to do this the hard way." He then pointed his wand towards the star-studded ceiling and shouted at the top of his lungs, "_INCENDIO_!"

_End of Chapter_


	18. Chapter 18: An Unexpected Request

_Chapter 18_

Deep in the Dark Forest, Elsa was having her own internal battles. She'd spent the whole afternoon walking through the shade of the tall trees. Now it was nighttime and the Dark Forest was living up to its name. Pitch-black darkness, cold air, and the haunting howls of distant werewolves were all that surrounded her. Tired of walking, she sat down and leaned against the trunk of a large tree. She'd long since given up all attempts to fall asleep. It was not so much that she was too cold or afraid to sleep. On the contrary, she was used to cold.

What was keeping her awake was the realization of how many people she'd let down. Her parents, Anna, Belle, Rapunzel, Professor Mode, and even the Grey Lady. She'd disappointed, disobeyed, or frightened them all with one simple wave of her hand. Not to mention, she'd almost killed seven of her classmates in the process. The entire school either feared or hated her. And surely by now someone must have written to her parents explaining her actions. If this was the case, even they hated her.

"Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know," she said out loud.

All those years of being a good girl and obeying her parents' wishes of hiding her powers. And the entire school had found out in a matter of seconds. And why? Because she _hadn't_ concealed. She _had_ felt. She'd let those rotten Slytherins get to her and had unleashed all the anger and resentment she'd ever felt towards them.

"WELL NOW THEY KNOW!" she shouted. Her voice echoed throughout the trees, which woke a number of sleeping birds and sent them flying.

"What kind of a monster am I?" she asked herself. "I don't deserve to be Head Girl. I don't deserve to be at Hogwarts at all."

She could never go back, either to Hogwarts or her home. She would have to spend the rest of her life running, hiding, and avoiding people. She allowed a few small tears to fall from her eyes. But she quickly dried them with her sleeve when she heard quite a few voices in the distance. And unless her ears were deceiving her, the voices were calling her name.

"Elsa! Elsa!"

They _were_ calling her name. Because of the distance, she could not make out the owners of the voices. She listened closely. The voices were talking amongst themselves but she couldn't make out one word. As they moved closer to her, she realized that there were five people in this group: she had heard one male voice and four females. So there were five of them and they were looking for her. That was all she could gather. But who were they and what did they want with her?

She figured it out herself. They were Hogwarts students and they were looking for her so they could… What, exactly? Put an end to her, the murderous girl who was now a threat to all of Hogwarts? That must be it. Professor Weselton must have sent them.

Suddenly the voices were so close to her that only a few trees separated them. She jumped to her feet and, being careful not to make a sound, ran to the other side of the tree and hid. She could have sworn when she did so that she'd caught a glimpse of wild, bright red hair.

Moments later, a girl's voice said, "She must be around here somewhere. I could've sworn I heard her voice shouting something."

The girl's Scottish accent and the red hair was a dead giveaway. Elsa could tell who this was before the next voice could even say the name.

"Merida, that was probably just a werewolf or something," said Tiana Jackson's voice.

A dainty shriek followed this comment. "A werewolf? Around here?" said Charlotte La Bouff's trembling voice. "Oh great! First I get dirt on my best shoes and now this. What ever next?"

"Be quiet!" Merida snapped. "I know what the cry of a werewolf sounds like, and that wasn't it. It was her, I know it."

Elsa stopped breathing. She'd never felt more stupid in her life. Merida had heard her scream, "WELL NOW THEY KNOW!" And now she, Merida, was seeking the source of the scream. Elsa had led an entire group of students, who were no doubt trying to kill her, right to her. She put her hand to her mouth and tried not to make another sound.

She then heard the sound of running footsteps and a fourth voice joined the group. "Are you sure it was my sister's voice, Merida?" said Anna… Said _Anna_?

It was a relief Elsa was covering her mouth. Otherwise, the four girls would have heard her panting nervously. She couldn't believe it. Anna, her own sister, was part of the group that had apparently set out to find and kill her? If this didn't convince that she had no friends left in the world, nothing else would.

"Aye, I'm positive," said Merida.

"Well where is she?" asked Kristoff Anderson's voice. "We have to find her or the whole school's in danger."

Or the whole school's in danger? What, Elsa wondered, was that supposed to mean? As far as she knew, the school had nothing to fear now that she was out of the way. She planned to never go back, for the safety of her classmates. So why in the world would this small group of students be going to so much trouble to find and kill her? Perhaps the teachers wanted to make doubly sure that their students were safe at all times.

"Well if she's not here, we have to keep searching," said Anna in a tone that gave off an air of urgency. "Keep calling her name, everyone! ELSA! ELSA!"

"Oh, just give it up!" Tiana snapped. "I understand that we've got a serious situation on our hands, but screamin' her name at the top of our lungs isn't gonna solve anything."

Elsa agreed wholeheartedly with this statement.

"She's right, Anna," said Kristoff. "If we're gonna have any luck finding her, we have to be a bit more subtle. If we keep shouting her name, we're just gonna drive her even farther away from us."

There was a moment's pause. Then Anna said, "You're right. Sorry."

Merida scoffed. "Well what're we supposed to do then? The lives of our friends and enemies alike are at stake."

"I sure wish there was some sorta Summonin' Charm that works on people," said Charlotte.

Elsa's heart was pounding harder than it had ever done in her seventeen years. She felt trapped. These five were searching for her and they were becoming increasingly desperate. What was she supposed to do now? She wouldn't dream of using her powers to hurt them, especially not Anna. That would've been her best chance of escaping. Still, she felt far too selfless to do that. Her only other options would be to surrender to them here and now or lose her life as a result or to wait for them to leave and run in the opposite direction as soon as she'd have the chance. In addition to being risky, the latter would be pointless. If she kept running, the whole school would join this wild goose chase and she would probably end up dead anyway.

Banishing all thoughts of herself, she took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and, in her head, raised a white flag.

"Look no further," she said in a loud but unsteady voice.

She stepped out of her hiding spot with her eyes still shut and planted her feet firmly on the brown earth. She waited a few seconds for one of them to utter the incantation of the unforgivable Killing Curse. When this didn't happen, she opened her eyes and faced her potential killers. To her surprise, none of them looked as though they had any desire to do harm to her. They had not even raised their wands at her. If anything, they looked, for whatever reason, happy to see her.

No sooner were her eyes open than Anna ran up to her and almost knocked the wind out of her with a constricting hug.

"Elsa! Thank goodness! I hoped you hadn't gone too far!" She let go of the now flabbergasted Elsa, beaming at her.

"I told you lot it was her voice I heard," said Merida to the four Hufflepuffs.

"Elsa, we've been looking for you for ages," said Kristoff.

"Yeah, I gathered," said Elsa. "And I guess now you're gonna, what exactly? Kill me here? Drag me back to Hogwarts in chains?"

The broad smile vanished from Anna's face. "What?"

"What, that's not it?" Elsa asked. "Did you have something else in mind? Is the monster supposed to use her own powers to kill herself?"

Tiana sighed. "I told ya'll this wouldn't be easy."

"No, Elsa, you've got the wrong idea," said Anna.

"Have I?" asked Elsa in a tone that said she was unconvinced. "Then why did you come here looking for me in the middle of the night?"

Anna's reply almost made Elsa laugh. "Because… we need you."

"What?" said Elsa in disbelief. "You _need_ me? After all the trouble I've caused? After I almost killed an entire Quidditch team?" Saying this out loud reminded her how horrible her actions had been, however unintentional they were.

Anna shook her head. "No. That's not important anymore."

"Not important?" Elsa repeated. "It happened barely twelve hours ago. What, has everyone forgotten about it so soon?"

"Elsa, please listen."

"I can never go back," Elsa interrupted, now in tears. "I don't belong there. I don't belong anywhere…"

Before she could go on, Merida marched up to her and grabbed her shoulders in a tight grip.

"Listen to us, lassie!"

She said this with such force in her voice that Elsa, still in tears, ceased to speak and listened.

Merida loosened her grip and said, "We're telling you the truth. We do need you. It doesn't matter what you've done anymore. I mean yes it scared us when it happened, but right now we need you."

So many questions began flooding Elsa's mind. The only one she dared to ask right now was, "What do you mean?"

All five of them pointed to the tops of the tall, dark trees at their right side. Elsa looked up in the direction in which they were pointing. Although the sky was dark, she could see an enormous cloud of smoke rising up into the starry sky.

"What's burning?" she asked. A sudden ache in her chest told her she already knew the answer.

Merida looked at her with sad, narrowed eyes and answered, "Hogwarts."

_End of Chapter_


	19. Chapter 19: The Fire Master

_Chapter 19_

It was true. Hogwarts was indeed on fire. Hans had gone mad with rage when he did not find Elsa in Ravenclaw Tower. His Fire Charm in the Ravenclaw common room had only been his first of the night. Belle, Rapunzel, and the Grey Lady had watched helplessly as his unusually powerful Fire Charm melted away the starry, domed ceiling. The commotion had awoken the other Ravenclaws and sent them screaming form the dormitories. When Hans realized that Elsa was not among them, he'd stunned Belle and Rapunzel before they could run off with the other screaming Ravenclaws. He then waved his wand. Immediately, the two unconscious girls were bound by a long length of rope.

"You two will make excellent bait," he said, although he knew they couldn't hear him.

He dragged them from the burning common room and told Gaston and Helga Sinclair, who were waiting outside, to take them to the Great Hall. They obliged. Hans continued his search for Elsa, setting fire to every room he searched. This had awoken the other students and teachers, who either fled the castle in fear or tried to put out the fires he'd caused. Those who tried the latter did so in vain. Hans' mood was darkening as his search progressed and his fires were becoming increasingly brutal. They could not be stopped even with the most powerful Water Charms. Within a few short hours, almost the entire castle was in flames. Elsa was nowhere in sight. The younger students had been evacuated to Hogsmeade. The older students and teachers remained on the school grounds trying their best to put out Hans' fires.

Hans, his two hostages, and quite a few of his fellow Slytherins were now in the Great Hall. Despite his vain attempt to find Elsa, Hans felt more proud of himself than ever. And that was saying something. He sat pompously in Professor Merlin's chair as if it were a throne. His typically handsome features were marred by a sinister grin. His eyes gleamed scarlet as he admired the destruction that he had brought upon the Great Hall alone. The Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables had been burned and were now reduced to long aisles of ash and blackened wood. The Slytherin table, at which Hans' adversaries were seated, remained untouched by the flames. The enchanted ceiling that reflected the sky outside showed a vast cloud of black smoke that was rising to the heavens without stop.

"So, ladies and gents," Hans said to his partners in crime. "What do you think of my contribution to the redesign of our noble learning institution?"

"Most excellent," said Gaston. "You're the man, Hans."

"That you are," agreed Helga. "And I'm honored that you invited me to be apart of it."

Drizella Tremaine looked dreamily at Hans. "I always knew you were more than just a pretty face, but I never knew you were so skilled with Fire Charms. I think I'm in love."

Hans chuckled. "Flatterers."

His attention then turned to Belle and Rapunzel, who were levitating inches above the Slytherin table still bound together but no longer unconscious.

"And what do you two think?" he asked them. "Isn't it just _picture_ perfect, Bloom? Perfect like the pictures in all of your little _books_, eh La Beaute?"

Gaston, Helga, and Drizella laughed at Hans' jokes. Belle and Rapunzel seemed fond of neither the jokes nor the situation.

"It's awful, Hans!" said Belle. "Why would you do such a thing to such a wonderful place?"

"Why?" Hans repeated. "_Why_? I'll tell you why. Or better yet, I'll _show_ you why."

He waved his wand once and Belle and Rapunzel slowly floated up to him. He gently took Belle's chin in his hand, though it was a threatening sort of gentle. With his free hand, he pointed at his Head Boy badge.

"_This_ is why," he said with a smirk. "This badge is a symbol of my well-deserved power. I've spent my whole life living in the shadows of my brothers. And now, after years of clawing my way to the top, I've proven myself to be more powerful than any of them."

Belle forced her chin free from Hans' fingers. "There's a defining difference between being powerful and power-_hungry_."

"Call it whatever you want, as long as it ends with me coming out on top," said Hans. "And I'll be even more of a winner when your little friend Elsa joins me."

"That'll never happen!" Rapunzel snapped. "Elsa will never join you!"

Hans chuckled again. "Do the math, sweetheart. When she finds out I've got you two in my clutches, she'll have to join me. After all, you're her only friends. You freaks have to look out for each other."

"Why do you need her anyway?" asked Rapunzel. "Look around you, you've already done enough damage to the school!"

"You know, she does kinda have a point there," said a very nervous looking Flynn. "With all due respect, Hans, you've done so much already without Elsa. What more could you…"

Hans shot Flynn such a horrible look that the latter stopped talking.

"That's where you're both wrong," Hans said to Rapunzel and Flynn. "I may be powerful now, but Elsa, as we all saw this afternoon, has the power to strike fear into anyone." He smiled wickedly at Belle and Rapunzel. "Including her best friends who always thought they knew her better than anyone."

"You're a genius!" said Gaston. "You never can have too much power, eh Hans?"

"No sir," said Hans. "All that's left now is to wait for Elsa. Any minute now, she'll come out of hiding, burst through those doors, and demand us to set her only friends free. And then she's all mine."

Helga raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

"And then," Hans continued, "She and I will make history as the most powerful and feared Head Boy and Girl that this God-forsaken school has ever known. Even the teachers will tremble in our presence. And fire and ice will rule together with iron fists."

Helga winced. "Not such a bad plan. But surely with that much power, you could use it for something more worthwhile."

"Oh, I… Or rather, _we_ will," said Hans. "Hogwarts will only be the beginning of our little reign. This time next year, the entire wizarding world will be under our control!"

"NO!" screamed Belle and Rapunzel.

Hans stared at them with hate in his eyes. This had no effect on either of them.

"Look at it this way, you two," he said in a voice that said he was trying to cooperate with them. "I'm doing your little friend a favor. She's been criticized and laughed at her whole life. And now, thanks to me, the whole world will be bowing down to her, praising her, even serving her. For once in her life, she'll be given the respect you both know she deserves. And it'll all be thanks to me."

His followers seemed to be moved by this statement, especially Drizella. "I know I won't be laughing at her again! You're such a saint, Hans!"

Hans winked at her, and then proceeded with his speech. "Trust me, she'll be thanking me for everything before sunrise. It was my brilliant plan to snatch her glove that's earned her all the glory she's about to get."

"And let's not forget who it was that grabbed the glove!" said Helga in a raised voice.

Belle and Rapunzel looked back at Hans in mild disbelief.

"Well, what'd you expect?" he asked, as if it was the most obvious question in the world. "She wasn't willing to expose it herself and all other attempts had failed."

"Sorry!" said Drizella, who seemed to know he was referring to her.

"You monster," said Belle in barely more than a whisper.

"I did what I had to, sweetheart," Hans said, clearly not offended by being called a monster. "Just like Elsa's going to do what she has to do when she gets here."

Just then, Drizella let out a loud gasp. Hans looked at her and noticed she was looking up towards the ceiling. He followed her gaze and almost let out a gasp himself. The endless cloud of smoke outside was, unless his eyes were deceiving him, clearing up. That would have to mean that someone had finally managed to extinguish his beautiful fires.

"How is that possible?" he said to no one in particular.

Helga answered his question almost immediately. "Looks like our little snow leopard has come out of her cave," she said with a devious grin.

Gaston smiled. "She's here, Hans."

Hans' mood changed with this realization. "So she is. And she seems to be putting up a fight. Well not for long."

He waved his wand. Belle and Rapunzel fell to the floor and their ropes vanished into thin air. Before either of them could stagger to their feet, Hans ordered Gaston and Helga to grab them. Gaston grabbed Rapunzel in a chokehold, Helga grabbed Belle's ponytail, and they forced them to their feet with their wands drawn.

Hans pointed his own wand to the doors of the Great Hall, waiting for them to swing open at any moment.

"I'm ready for you, Arendelle," he snarled.

_End of Chapter_

**Author's Note:** Many of you may have noticed that I have given this story a new cover image. Just for the record, I don't own it but I do have permission from its owner to use it. The image is called "Elsa In Ravenclaw" and its owner is xNinaxMarasiganx on Deviantart. Here's the link to the image in case you wish to leave her a message: ?qh=§ion;=&global=1&q=Elsa+Ravenclaw#/art/Elsa-In-Ravenclaw-454037802?_sid=2de7edc6


	20. Chapter 20: Feel, Don't Conceal

_Chapter 20_

Hogwarts looked no better on the outside than it did on the inside. Hans had reduced the once beautiful, colorful castle to a sooty, infernal ruin. Not even the highest tower had been spared from his deadly fires. Flames and sparks had burst violently through the pointed roofs. The stained glass of the arched windows had melted away to reveal the yellowish orange glow of the fires within. It was quite possible that the only part of the castle that had been untouched was the Slytherin common room since, in addition to being under the lake, it was the part of Hogwarts that the instigator himself held most dear.

The teachers and older students were all gathered together in the front castle courtyard. They had tried all night to put out the fires, but to no avail. The fires were unlike anything even the teachers had ever seen before. And to think they were started by a wand held in the hand of a seventeen-year-old young man. Everyone felt tired, depressed, and defeated. Professor Merlin felt helpless as he watched his beloved home and school burn.

"For more than one thousand years this castle has stood in this spot, opening its doors to the eager youth of the wizarding world," he said to no one in particular. "And now it's all been destroyed in a single night. And by an overly ambitious student, no less."

Professor Flora, who was standing nearest to him, turned to face him. "Don't despair, Headmaster."

Merlin did not return her gaze. His eyes were set on the pitch-black cloud of rising smoke that filled at least half the sky.

"How can I not, Flora?" he asked. "Hogwarts has never seen such destruction. Could this be its end?"

"Certainly not, Professor. Don't even consider it," said Flora in a reassuring tone. "The walls and roofs may be gone by morning, but that doesn't mean the school is at an end. The students and teachers will still be standing and…"

"Will they?" Merlin asked, finally looking her in the eye.

Flora was at a loss for words. She merely stared back at him not daring to ask what he meant.

"Forgive me, Flora, but it is a Headmaster's duty to put his pupils, teachers, and their lives before all other things." There was a look of despair in his eyes when he said this. "And even if every student and teacher in this courtyard does survive this ordeal, I'm afraid there may still be at least one dead by morning."

Flora wanted to ask for more information, but a terrible thought told her she already knew the answer.

"Elsa Arendelle, Headmaster?" asked Professor Fauna.

Merlin bowed his head in reply. "Mister South is looking for her. Heaven knows where she is or if she'll return. And if she does, what's to become of her?"

Flora threw her hands over her mouth.

"You don't mean to say he'll kill her if she doesn't give into his wishes, do you Headmaster?" asked Flora.

"Not entirely, Fauna," Merlin replied. "But I do fear that she may have to give into his wishes in order to save Miss La Beaute and Miss Bloom. But if she does, what will happen? Will she be doomed to go down the same path that has destroyed Mister South? The path of pride, hatred, and a thirst for power?"

"Oh no," said Professor Merryweather. "You think he'll trick her into going down that path, do you?"

Merlin looked at her. "It wouldn't surprise me. He's tricked _us_ into believing he means well, hasn't he?" he asked gesturing to the castle that was burning right in front of their eyes.

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather nodded in agreement.

"Oh tish tosh!" said a voice from behind them.

The four of them turned around and looked angrily at Professor Weselton.

"If you ask me, the true deceiver is the monster formerly known as Miss Arendelle," he said.

Flora looked aghast. "Duke, how in the world could you say such a thing?"

"Oh come now," he retorted. "She's been lying to us since the moment she first walked though those doors. And now, six years later, she's almost killed seven students, from my house no less…"

Before he could go on, Professor Mode appeared at his side and hit him over the head with a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Do be quiet, you pompous old fool!" she snapped at him. "Is your mind so slippery that you've already forgotten that we are standing out here because your precious Head Boy has committed abduction and arson? He has set fire to our beautiful school and is using two of my students as decoys for a third."

"And what do you think has caused him to do so in the first place?" asked Weselton, rubbing the spot on his head where she'd hit him. "We should never have accepted Arendelle, even if she is a pure-blood. In fact, we should never have accepted La Beaute and Bloom. I've never liked any of those little – Ouch!"

Professor Mode hit him even harder in the head. "You never like any of our students unless they're in your house. Even now here you stand placing all the blame for this mess on the victims while making excuses for the real culprits. You sicken me. You foul, stingy, biased fashion disaster…"

"Look!" shouted a student who was pointing in the direction of the Dark Forest.

Everyone in the courtyard turned to follow her finger. A chorus of gasps and murmurs broke out amongst them. Many of them hid their faces. Some even sought shelter behind each other's backs. Even Merlin, though slightly relieved at heart, watched worriedly as six figures emerged from the forest and marched towards the courtyard.

Elsa, who was at the head of the small group, gasped. The sight of Hogwarts burning was a sight she would never forget, no matter how hard she'd try.

"It looks even worse than before," said Anna, referring to the state of the monstrous fires.

Elsa shivered, though she was far from cold. What she saw was more horrible than anything she'd seen in her life, yet she couldn't look away. She hadn't even reached the courtyard yet when she involuntarily froze in her tracks.

"Elsa?" asked Anna. "Why'd you stop?"

Elsa didn't reply. She continued staring at the burning castle as though she was in a trance. Just by looking at her, one would think she was. Her unblinking eyes were wider than they'd ever been, her mouth was half open, and she showed no signs of having heard any questions asked of her by Anna or the others.

She was not in a trance, but her mind was certainly not with her body. As she watched the mesmerizing flames engulf her school, she could only help but feel responsible for their existence. Although it had not been her wand that had caused the fires, she felt she was just as guilty as Hans was. It had been her absence that had forced Hans to enter this fit of rage. And now her fellow students and teachers were paying for her actions, or lack thereof.

She finally looked away when she a slender hand slapping her lightly on the cheek.

"Snap out of it, lassie!" said a very concerned Merida.

Breathing heavily, Elsa asked, "What have I done?"

Anna, Merida, Kristoff, Tiana, and Charlotte exchanged looks of disbelief.

"What do you mean what have _you_ done?" asked Anna.

Elsa fell to her knees. "This is all my fault!" she shouted. "I never should've run away! If I'd been here I could've stopped him!"

Although she was in tears, no one around her was going to allow her to think this way. Merida and Tiana knelt down beside her and each grabbed one of her shoulders.

"Don't you dare say that!" Merida snapped at her. "This is not your fault!"

Elsa opened her mouth to reply, but Tiana cut her off.

"No, Elsa! She's right! This all happened because of a young greedy wizard who's made bad choices all his life!"

"And we did not spend half the night marchin' around in that scary forest and draggin' you all the way back here so you could chicken out on us!" said Charlotte, who was now kneeling down as well. "We need you, darlin'!"

Then Kristoff joined them. "Please, Elsa! We're all powerless against these fires! But we know you can stop them! You're our only hope!"

At last, it was Anna's turn to offer advice. "Elsa, listen to me! It doesn't matter that you weren't here to stop Hans earlier! What matters now is that you're here and you _can_ do something about it! You just have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and act!"

Elsa shut her eyes, which were stained with tears, and tried with all her might to get her thoughts straight. She knew they were right. She was their only chance. She was the whole school's only chance. But the old fear of accidentally hurting someone with her powers, even now, was as overwhelming as ever. Suddenly, she heard a sixth voice that by now she knew too well.

"You must listen to them, Elsa."

She opened her eyes. The Grey Lady was floating only inches above them. All six of them turned up to face her.

"They are speaking the truth," she said to Elsa. "You and only you can stop these fires. Think of all that is at stake. Your school. Your classmates. Your teachers. Your best friends, who are at this moment being held hostage by Hans South himself."

The realization of what the ghost had just said hit Elsa like a ton of bricks. "He has Belle and Rapunzel?"

"And he's waiting for you," the Grey Lady continued. "He's prepared to fight you if that's what it takes for you to join him. But you mustn't give in, Elsa. You mustn't use your powers for wickedness, as he has done. You must save your loved ones from his wrath and show them all that you're not a monster."

Knowing that Hans had her best friends hostage frightened Elsa. She felt worried for Belle and Rapunzel and her hatred for Hans had reached a new level. The thought that he wanted her to join him was sickening. She would never use her powers to strike fear into people and control people. This may have been all right with Hans, but that was only because Hans was a corrupted and wicked wizard. She wasn't like him. She actually cared about her friends and fellow students. And she was not going to let him ruin their lives as he saw fit. Suddenly, she realized what she had to do.

She shut her eyes again and said out loud, "I'm not a monster. I'm not a Dark Witch. I'm not Hans South."

"That's more like it!" squealed Charlotte.

"I love my friends," Elsa continued. "And my sister. I care about them. And I'm not going to lose them."

"Feel, Elsa," the Grey Lady encouraged. "Don't hold back! Don't let fear consume you! Show us all what you can do! Let it go!"

"LET IT GO! LET IT GO!" the others shouted.

In that one moment, the old Elsa was gone. She felt the years of being brainwashed by her parents being lifted from her. Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let them know. Well now was the time to defy that. Feel. Don't conceal. Let them all, especially Hans, know.

An intense, yet refreshing, wave of cold struck her like a bolt of lightning. She could feel her power flowing madly through her body and rushing to the tips of her fingers, just waiting to be released. Her hands began to glow in a shade of crystal blue.

"That's it, Elsa!" shouted the Grey Lady. "Now is the time to share your power with the whole world!"

Elsa opened her eyes and looked back at the burning castle feeling confident and fearless. She lifted one hand and pointed it at the nearest tower. In the blink of an eye, a bright ray of blue light shot from her glowing hand and charged at the tower's roof. In seconds, the orange glowing tower was replaced by one covered with ice and frost. There was not a fire to be seen in a single window.

"Elsa, that was incredible!" shouted Anna.

"I don't believe it," said Elsa with a pounding heart. "I actually did something good with my powers."

"Save it for later, Elsa," said the Grey Lady. "There is still much to do."

Elsa nodded and prepared herself to run towards the courtyard. But before she could, she turned to her supporters. "Thank you all so much."

The others smiled in response.

"It's what friends, and especially sisters, are for," said a beaming Anna.

Elsa smiled and looked the Grey Lady in the eye. "And thank you, Helena. I don't know what I would've done without you."

For the first time ever, the Grey Lady actually gave her an authentic smile. "Now go, Elsa. There's not a moment to lose."

_End of Chapter _


	21. Chapter 21: The Battle - Part 1

_Chapter 21_

It was unlike anything Elsa had ever felt in her life. She felt powerful, unstoppable, and most importantly, she felt free. Free to use her glaciatous powers without being feared. And the fear of hurting people no longer hung over her. Nothing she could do now could cause more harm to anyone than Hans had done. Finally free from worry and depression, she ran towards Hogwarts with the powers of ice and snow literally at her fingertips.

She was only feet away from the courtyard. Her presence was drawing a variety of reactions from her fellow students and teachers. There was so much speaking among them that she couldn't hear them all. But she managed to catch a few loud voices declaring her presence in different tones.

"It's Arednelle!" someone shouted. Elsa didn't see who it was, but they sounded relieved.

"Has she come back to save us?" asked a second, more skeptical voice.

"She just saved that tower from burning! Of course she'll save us!"

The voice that stood out most was that of Weselton. "You fools! She's come to destroy us! Just look at her eyes! They're full of bloodlust and rage!"

There was indeed a look in Elsa's eyes. But not a look of hatred as Weselton had interpreted. She looked the same way she felt: bold, righteous, and warrior-like.

When she finally set foot onto the courtyard, every student backed away from her in either excitement or fear.

"Back!" Weselton barked at her. "Leave this school, monster!"

Elsa narrowed her eyes and her lips curled into a half smile. Once again she'd been misunderstood and victimized, but this time was different. This time she was not going to let Weselton's or anyone else's words redefine her. She was going to show them all what she could really do with her powers.

Ignoring Weselton's words, she shut her eyes and focused on her feelings. Anger towards Hans and all the destruction he'd caused. A desire to protect her loved ones. The realization that her friends were behind her every step of the way. With her mind set on these thoughts and emotions, she raised her hands high above her head and pointed them at the burning school.

The strongest blast she'd ever shot erupted from her fingers. It was as if she was controlling a blizzard. Wind, snow, and blue light burst from her outstretched hands and sped towards the castle. Everyone shielded their eyes and took a step back. Weselton fell to his knees and covered his head with his cloak. None of which was necessary. For the first time ever, Elsa was in control. Her magic, though powerful, never went astray. She pointed her hands at every fire that met her eye. Not one flame was left untouched.

After a few minutes, students began to open their eyes and see her heroic actions for themselves. At first they were frightened and worried that she might accidentally lost control. But as the fires diminished and the cloud of smoke above the school cleared up, cheers began to ring throughout the courtyard. Students and teachers alike shouted encouraging words at Elsa, who humbly ignored the glory she was getting and kept her gaze on the school she was saving.

Within minutes, it was as if the evil fires had never existed. Hogwarts was covered in ice and frost from top to bottom. By the time Elsa's magic ceased and she lowered her hands, it looked no different than it would on Christmas Day.

In no time at all, Elsa found herself surrounded by students from every house, save Slytherin. Anna, Kristoff, Tiana, Merida, and Charlotte were among them. Everyone was smiling and bursting with excitement about what they'd just seen her do.

"That was incredible!"

"Amazing!"

"You saved us!"

"Can you teach me to do that?"

Elsa had neither the patience nor the interest to respond to any of these trivial comments. She knew that although she'd saved Hogwarts itself, she still had a job to do. Hans was inside. And he had her best friends. She had to face him in order to save them.

Without wasting another second, she pushed her way through the crowd of admiring students, who's smiles faded as she rushed past them without saying a word. She was almost halfway through them when a hand landed hard on her shoulder.

"ELSA, WAIT!" shouted the hand's owner.

She, of course, was in no position to wait. But the voice was too familiar for her to ignore. If it had been anyone other than her sister, she would've shoved the hand away and ran for it.

"What is it, Anna?" she said impatiently. "I have to face Hans!"

"I know," Anna replied promptly. "And I wanna be there when you do."

Elsa looked confused. "What?"

"So do I," said Tiana.

"And me," said Merida.

"Me too," said Kristoff and Charlotte.

"And us," said three voices that no one had not expected. The speakers turned out to be Milo, Jane Porrter, and Kevin MacGuffin.

Elsa looked into each face, confused beyond her wildest dreams.

"What… No… You…" She struggled to find the right words. She shut her eyes and let out something between a yell and a snarl. "You can't! None of you! This isn't your fight!"

"You're wrong, Elsa," said Milo. "It _is_ our fight, as much as it is yours. Even if you will be doing most of it," he added under his breath.

"But how can you…" Elsa began.

"Elsa, be serious," said Jane boldly. "We've all been victimized by Hans South and his evil posse. We've all had enough of it. And we want to be there when he meets his downfall."

Kevin said a rather long statement that, because of his thick accent, Elsa could not understand. Everyone looked back at him in silence for a moment.

"Well said, laddie," said Merida with a wink.

Typical. She _would_ be the only one who could make out one word of what he'd said.

"Uh, translation please?" asked Elsa.

Merida sighed. "He said, aside from wanting to see Hans being defeated, we want to be there for you in your time of triumph and redemption."

This statement actually moved Elsa. "You do? Really?"

Everyone nodded.

"You're a symbol of us all, Elsa," said Tiana with a smile. "We've all had our problems with Hans and his ways, but you've had the worst of it. And now you're finally facing him and we want to be there to support you."

"And to fight with you," Anna finished.

Elsa smiled, trying to refrain from crying. She sniffed once and said, "Okay. But we need to hurry. We're losing time. Where is he?"

"He's in the Great Hall!" shouted Milo. "Let's go!"

As the nine students ran up the steps that lead to the Great Hall, Elsa braced herself for what she would find when they'd burst through the doors. It wouldn't just be Hans. He'd be flanked by Gaston, Helga, Drizella, and most, if not all, of Slytherin House. They would be armed. And none of them would be afraid to kill Belle and Rapunzel if she didn't cooperate. In which case, it was probably a good thing that she'd have these eight acquaintances backing her up. No. Not acquaintances. Acquaintances wouldn't be so loyal, or so willing to fight alongside her in such dangerous circumstances. She realized then that Belle and Rapunzel truly weren't the only friends she had in the world.

Now wasn't the time to get emotional. They had a battle to fight. Everyone in the courtyard went silent as the small army of students reached the top step. In no time at all, they were inside the castle, which had grown colder now that the fires had been replaced by frost. They ran across the Entrance Hall and didn't stop until they were at the doors to the Great Hall. Anna, Kristoff, Tiana, Merida, Charlotte, Milo, Jane, and Kevin withdrew their wands and held them at arms' length. Elsa was at the lead. She didn't need her wand for this. She curled her fingers into an icy cold fist and they pushed the large doors open with a thud. They were prepared to break into a run, but…

"FREEZE! NOBODY MOVE AN INCH!"

They all looked around and realized that they wouldn't even if they could. Almost half of Slytherin House was standing in a large group at the other end of the Hall. Their wands were drawn and were pointing threateningly at the group of heroes. Hans was in the center of the group, standing in front of the Headmaster's chair. To his left, Rapunzel was struggling to break free from Gaston's muscular chokehold. To his right, Belle was whimpering as Helga held her ponytail in a tight grip and her wand to the side of her neck.

For several seconds, both parties looked at each other in complete silence. Then Hans began to chuckle as he took a few steps closer to Elsa and the others.

"So, here she is," he said to his housemates. "At long last, our friend Miss Arendelle has come out of hiding and decides to come save her dorky friends."

The other Slytherins laughed. Unless Elsa was mistaken, it seemed like a rather forced laugh. Only Gaston, Helga, and Drizella looked and sounded as though they were actually amused. The others, especially Flynn and Anastasia, looked like they were unsure about whether what they were doing was right.

Elsa brushed this feeling off. "Let them go, Hans!"

Hans froze about halfway across the Hall. "Not so fast, Elsa," he said calmly. "I'll gladly let your friends go, but not before we do a little negotiating."

"What do you want from me?" demanded Elsa. "And why is it so important that you had to destroy the whole school to find me?"

Hans scoffed. "Why does everyone make it sound like I'd do all this of my own volition?"

"What? Isn't that exactly what you did?" asked Merida.

"Shh!" snapped Elsa.

"I wouldn't have had to do all this if you hadn't tried to hide from me, Elsa," said Hans.

Elsa was growing more impatient with each passing second. "Well I'm here now."

Hans looked thoughtful. "That's true. Better late than never, I always say. And to answer your original question, I think we both know exactly what I want from you."

Elsa said nothing.

Hans raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll tell you. I want _you_, Elsa."

"But why?"

Hans chuckled again. "Why? As if it's not the most obvious thing in the world. I want us to rule Hogwarts together. To be the greatest Head Boy and Girl that this school has ever seen. And what better way to rule than with fire and ice?"

Elsa glared. "What better way? Anything's better than this!"

"Elsa, Elsa, Elsa," Hans said. "If you can't be loved, be feared. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be feared than loved. And no one in their right mind could possibly love you…"

"You cold-hearted liar!" snapped Anna, who would have careened forward if Kristoff hadn't grabbed her arm. "She _does_ have love! She has _us_!"

This time, Hans' chuckle was replaced by a booming laugh that echoed throughout the Great Hall. Elsa suddenly wouldn't have minded hearing the chuckle again, cold as it was.

"My point exactly," said Hans. "You lot _aren't_ in your right minds. You're all freaks and peace-loving losers. And Elsa can do better than you. She's got power and potential. And she's also got a choice to make. She can join me and finally be respected, or lose everything she loves. Join me, Elsa."

Elsa narrowed her eyes and, without hesitation, uttered the most dangerous word she could have said in this situation.

"Never."

_End of Chapter _

_Author's Note: Sorry for the late update! The next one shouldn't take anywhere near as long! _


	22. Chapter 22: The Battle - Part 2

_Chapter 22_

"Never."

To most people in the Great Hall, Elsa must have seemed insane to say this. After all, Hans had made her an offer she could not refuse. Or had he?

The sly smile on his face vanished the moment the word escaped her lips.

"Fine," he answered in a half snarl. "Have it your way."

He turned around to face Gaston and Helga, who were still holding fast to Belle and Rapunzel.

"Do away with them."

His allies grinned. They seemed over the moon to be carrying out such treacherous deeds. Elsa pointed her hands to each of them, somehow knowing that if she attacked them and saved her friends, Hans would take her out while she was distracted. But at least her oldest friends would be spared. And given the way she felt right now, the lives of her loved ones were more important than her own. She was about to unleash an icy blast from each hand, when Tiana and Merida each took a step forward with their wands withheld.

"STUPEFY!" they shouted.

Merida's spell hit Gaston in the eye. He roared in pain and fell to his knees. A panting Rapunzel broke free from his grasp, breathing heavily.

Tiana's spell hit Helga. The impact was so hard that she was knocked backwards and collided with a few other Slytherins. Drizella, unfortunately, was not among them. Furiously, she broke into a run with her wand pointed at Tiana and Merida.

"NO!" shouted Anna. "STUPEFY!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" shouted Drizella. The two girls began dueling each other.

Belle and Rapunzel made a beeline for the other end of the Hall. This was risky as neither of them seemed to have their wands.

"You two aren't getting away that easily!" Hans shouted at them. "STUPEFY!"

Kristoff and Milo reached Belle and Rapunzel before Hans' spell did. They blocked the spell with blasts from their wands and shielded the two girls with their bodies as they ran across the Hall. Miraculously, the four of them managed to reach Elsa and the others scot-free.

Elsa immediately threw her arms around Belle and Rapunzel, who returned the embrace. It was safe for them to do so now that Milo, Kristoff, and Kevin had started dueling Hans.

"I was so worried about you two," said Elsa.

"Oh Elsa," Belle wept. "We knew you'd never give into his wishes."

Elsa shook her head. "I'm sorry I never told you…" she began.

Rapunzel took Elsa's hand in both her own. "No, it doesn't matter anymore. We're just happy that you're not with _him_."

Elsa was relieved to still have her friends. But the sight of the multiple battles going on only feet away from them made her realize that now wasn't the best time for celebrating. Anna was still dueling Drizella. Helga had recovered from being stunned and was now dueling Tiana and Charlotte. Gaston had also recovered, though he was holding his hand over his apparently bleeding eye, and was dueling Merida and Jane. And although she couldn't see past Kristoff, Milo, and Kevin, she could tell they were beginning to struggle battling Hans, who's spells were giving off a bright, golden-orange light.

"Listen to me," she said urgently to her friends. "I have to face Hans. I need you both to stay out of our way, no matter what happens."

"What are going to…?" Belle started.

Elsa held up her hand. "There's no time for questions," she said impatiently. "Just stay out of the way, do you understand?"

Belle and Rapunzel nodded, though they still looked curious about what was going to happen.

"Just be careful," warned Rapunzel.

Elsa gave them a reassuring smile and pushed herself through Kristoff and Milo, ready to face Hans. She lifted her hand up towards the ceiling. A blinding blue light shot from her fingertips.

"STOP!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

The result was as she'd expected. Everyone in the room stopped fighting and turned to face her.

"Everyone stop! This isn't your fight! This is between me and Hans!"

"Truer words have never been spoken," she heard Hans say.

Without any warning, a powerful blast of fire burst from Hans' wand and flew right at Elsa. She dived out of the way just in time, and luckily so did everyone behind her. She hit the floor, feeling rather stupid for letting her guard down. But what did she expect? Hans had already proven to be a master of deception and surprise.

Although Hans' spell had missed, it was enough to convince everyone on either side of the Hall to get out of the way. At the same moment, absolutely everyone darted out of the way and pinned themselves against the walls.

Elsa rose to her feet, panting heavily, both from anger and slight pain from hitting the floor.

"This doesn't have to be our fight, Elsa," said Hans in a half shout. "You may just have seen the worst from me. Reconsider everything and I'll gladly spare you. Join me."

Once again, Elsa chose to act without hesitation. Feeling more furious than ever, she allowed her power to flow through her body to her fingers in a powerful rush. She aimed her hand at Hans, hoping to take him by surprise, and an icy blast shot at him. But Hans was not surprised. An equally strong blast of fire shot from his wand and collided with Elsa's spell. The two blasts overpowered each other. There was a sizzling sound and a cloud of steam. Then the two blasts dissolved into thin air.

Elsa and Hans glared at each other threateningly.

"You shouldn't have done that, Elsa!" shouted Hans.

Elsa was not going to hear what she shouldn't have done from someone who was willing to kill innocent people to get what he wanted.

"There are all sorts of things _you_ shouldn't have done, Hans!" she yelled. "Starting with ruining Hogwarts and ending with abducting my friends!"

"Yeah," Hans agreed. "I can see now what a waste all that was! Congratulations, Elsa! You're more of a fool than I ever thought possible, especially for a Ravenclaw!"

Elsa shot at Hans again, and this time she was not going to stop until she got him. Hans, as usual, was willing to put up a good fight. He shot at her with the most powerful blast so far. Their magic formed a sort of connection. Two equally strong blasts of fire and ice. Not an inch of air separating them. Their creators giving all the energy they could trying to overpower each other. The others watched in horror, wondering how long this battle between two skilled young people could last.

"ADMIT IT, ELSA!" Hans shouted over the rumbling of their spells. "YOU'RE WEAK! ALL THIS POWER AND YOU REFUSE TO PUT IT TO GOOD USE! IF YOU WERE TRULY SMART, YOU'D STOP HIDING AND SHOW THE ENTIRE WORLD WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF!"

Elsa neither knew nor cared if Hans was saying this to distract her. She only knew that it wasn't working and she was not going to back down so easily. She focused on Hans and her desire to bring him down. Still, neither of them showed any signs of defeating the other.

Then, something truly remarkable happened. It was hard to tell who it was, but one of the onlookers took at least five steps away from the wall. Elsa wasn't sure, but she could have sworn it was a Slytherin. Whoever it was raised their wand and pointed it at Hans.

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Hans' wand flew from his hand and landed on the opposite side of the Hall. Elsa's blast of ice hit her weaponless opponent. Hans flew backwards and hit the floor. His entire body was held down by a covering of ice, except for his head.

Everyone, including Elsa, was shocked when they turned to face the brave individual who had disarmed Hans. She had been right. It was a Slytherin.

"You traitor!" Drizella roared at Anastasia.

Anastaisa didn't respond. She looked just as shocked at everyone around her.

"KILL HER!" roared Hans.

Drizella, Gaston, and Helga, now the only ones who remained loyal to Hans, pointed their wands at Anastasia. Before any of them could utter the Killing Curse, Flynn, Naveen, and Adam lifted their own wands.

"STUPEFY!" they shouted.

The spells hit Gaston, Helga, and Drizella and sent them flying across the Hall. They landed facedown on the hard floor, each losing grip on his or her wand.

Elsa, though puzzled about all of these blatant betrayals against Hans, now realized there was no way she could be defeated. Hans was weaponless and immobilized by an icy trap and his only remaining allies were lying unconscious on the floor. She approached Hans ever so slowly and stared down at him for several seconds.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Hans, as though daring her to make the next move. "I'm completely powerless. Now's your chance. Kill me and take all the glory."

For a moment, Elsa actually considered this. He was right. Nothing could be done to save him. She had the power to do it. Just one swift move of her hand and all of the fighting and suffering would be over with. But then, something happened that made her reconsider. The others, including the Slytherins, all moved closer to the two of them, stopping only feet away. Elsa looked around at each of them. Their faces all looked the same: half-open mouths, wide frightened eyes. She knew these looks. She'd seen them only less than twenty-four hours ago when these same people witnessed her almost killing seven people at once. She realized there was a reason she was on the receiving end of those looks yet again. She was about to commit the same crime again, only this time it was not going to be an accident.

No, she thought to herself. This was not who she was. She wasn't Hans. She wasn't going to take someone else's life, no matter how inhumane his actions had been. She took a deep breath and glared down at her would-be victim, feeling exhausted.

"No, Hans," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm not going to kill you, even if you do deserve it."

"Why?" asked Hans, his voice ringing with suspicion.

"Because I'd never reduce myself to your low," she replied. "I'd never kill anyone, _especially_ not for glory. And the fact that you would makes you the fool, not me."

It was a suspenseful moment for everyone. No one dared to breathe.

"I'd never use my powers to make people fear me," Elsa continued. "I've never wanted power or glory and I'm not going to start now."

"Well what are you going to do then?" asked Hans.

Elsa thought for a moment and then said, "I'm going to let Professor Merlin decide how to deal with you. It may cost you everything you've lied in order to gain, but you'll deserve it. And in the end, you may be grateful that I'm sparing your life."

Hans didn't look satisfied. "Why would I be grateful? You've taken everything away from me."

Elsa shook her head. "That's your own fault. You should've realized long ago that your powers aren't meant to be mistreated, and that the people in your life aren't meant to be abused."

At this moment, Hans was at a loss for words. Elsa glared at him one last time, and then turned to walk away. There was nothing more that she could do. Hogwarts had been saved and Hans could no longer wreak havoc. But Elsa was in no mood to celebrate her achievements. If anything, the only thing she was in the mood to do was sleep. She'd been awake all night and had used so much energy battling Hans.

She had barely taken a few steps before she finally realized just how tired she really was. Hardly able to walk or keep her eyes open, she voluntarily fell to her knees.

"Elsa!"

Who's voice had that been? Anna? Rapunzel? Ultimately, it didn't matter. Elsa collapsed on the floor and became aware of nothing but pitch black.

_End of chapter_


	23. Chapter 23: Visitors

_Chapter 23_

Sometime later, she hadn't the slightest idea of the exact amount of time, Elsa was awoken by the sound of voices talking somewhere to her left. It had been such a peaceful sleep. No nightmares or anything. This seemed strange as she'd saved an entire castle from burning, battled for her life against a power-hungry maniac, and almost been killed by fire all prior to falling into unconsciousness. Now that sleep had been interrupted by voices that to anyone else would sound like soft breezes. But to someone in Elsa's position, even the slightest whisper would be like thunder.

"How much longer is she going to be like this?" said a high voice that seemed to Elsa like nails scratching on a chalkboard. She detected concern in the voice, concern that could be found in the voice of a family member. It must've been Anna.

"Shouldn't be longer than a few more minutes. Just be gentle with her when she wakes up. The poor dear's had quite an ordeal." This second voice was lower and less familiar, but she could tell is was a woman speaking. A rather old woman from the sounds of it.

"You don't have to tell us, we were there when it happened," said a deep, masculine voice that had to belong to Kristoff.

There were other voices too, but they were talking so fast that she could barely distinguish them.

Finally she could take it no longer. With some difficulty, she opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was lying down on a bed in the Hospital Wing, which looked strangely like it had escaped being incinerated by Hans' spells. Without sitting up, she turned her head to her left. A curtain divided her from the owners of the whispering voices. She could just make out the shadowy outline of Madam Potts, the school matron. This explained the source of the elderly voice she'd heard addressing Anna.

Elsa cleared her throat and sat up ever so slightly.

"Madam Potts?"

Her voice was weak, but it made the chorus of whispers cease instantly.

"She's awake!" someone gasped.

"Alright, alright, settle down now, everyone," said Madam Potts as she pushed the curtain back slightly and looked down to face Elsa. She smiled merrily, like she did when facing all of her patients, and said, "Good morning, sweetie. Oh no, please, don't get up. I trust you slept well?"

Elsa gladly lowered her head back down onto her pillow. "Yeah, I did, considering the circumstances."

"Oh good," said Madam Potts. "Though I don't know why I bothered asking. The Potion for Dreamless Sleep has never failed yet."

Elsa winced. "Guess that explains everything."

"I hope you're not too tired, dearest," continued Madam Potts. "There's quite a crowd of fans here who've been wanting to see you."

"Let them in," said Elsa with a smile.

Madam Potts smiled and pushed the curtain back all the way. "Come along now, everyone. And remember, be gentle," she said quietly.

In just seconds, Anna, Kristoff, Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana, Charlotte, Merida, Milo, Jane, Kevin, and Violet Parr surrounded Elsa's bed. Each of them carried either a bouquet of blue and white flowers or a small pile of sweets. They all greeted her casually with "Hi, Elsa" or "Good morning". But Elsa could tell most of them were struggling to resist hugging her or saying things like, "You were incredible!"

She smiled in reply and said, "It's good to see you all."

"We brought you flowers," said Anna, holding up her bouquet for Elsa to see. "We thought blue and white would be appropriate because, you know, Ravenclaw colors. And also because they matched your… Well, your magic. Because of ice and snow. Get it?" She finished this sentence with a small chuckle.

Elsa ignored her sister's awkwardness. "They're beautiful. Thank you."

Anna blushed, though it had little to do with the compliment.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" asked Belle.

Elsa managed a small smile. "I've been better. How long have I been here?"

"A couple of days," Belle replied. "But so much has happened in that time that it feels like longer."

"I bet you have a million questions," said Rapunzel.

Elsa nodded. To say she had a million questions, she felt, was the understatement of the year. She had so many questions that it hurt her head just thinking about them all. Ultimately she decided that she could gain all the answers she craved by asking just one.

"What happened after I, you know?" she asked, hoping she could keep track of all the answers she was bound to get. "And please don't all talk at once," she added.

Rapunzel started. "Well, after you told Hans off, Professor Merlin really took care of him and his goons." She said this with a smile and a wink.

"You mean…?" Elsa began hopefully.

Before she could finish the question, Rapunzel nodded. "They've been expelled, all four of them."

Merida snorted. "Aye, they've been 'expelled' alright. But good ol' Merlin's gone a wee bit further than that. Those trolls and hags have been given what they truly deserve." The smile on her freckled face was almost devious.

Elsa raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Merida made a loud sound that seemed to be a cross between a laugh and a grunt. "Don't you get it, lassie?! They've been sent to Azkaban!" she shouted happily.

"Shh!" hissed Madam Potts. "Miss Dunbroch, please!" she said in a loud whisper.

Merida grinned, looking embarrassed. "Sorry," she said sincerely. Still unable to control her excitement, she whispered, "Isn't it great news? And we owe it all to you!"

It was indeed great news, but given Elsa's condition all she managed to do was say, "Azkaban? Hans? Gaston? Helga? Drizella?"

Merida nodded rapidly between names. "Every single one of 'em. Life sentence. And that brute Gaston will never see through his right eye again, thanks to my Stunning Spell. And that no-account Weselton's been sacked for trying to defend them. He almost refused to leave, but he changed his mind when my brothers went at him with dungbombs," she chuckled.

Elsa hadn't heard the last sentence. Her smile faded and she sighed. "After everything Hans has done, that creep's still on his side?"

It was Tiana's turn to answer. She gently said, "Don't you dwell on it, Elsa. Nothing he's ever done matters anymore."

Elsa smiled again. "I wouldn't say that. I'll never forget the way you told him off."

Tiana chuckled. "Oh, that was nothin' really. I was just standin' up for my friend. What _you_ did was worth rememberin'. You saved the whole school and all of our lives just by liftin' a little finger."

"Maybe so," said Elsa. "But if it was you, you wouldn't need encouragement like I did. I could never be as bold as you."

Tiana suddenly looked serious. "Boldness has nothin' to do with it, Elsa. I only care about honesty and standing up for what I know is right."

"Spoken like a true Hufflepuff," said Milo. "And I mean that in a good way, mind you."

Everyone laughed.

"And you're the same way," Tiana continued. "All you need is a little push every now and then."

"Yeah," Elsa agreed. "I guess that's what happens when you've been forced to hide yourself behind a locked door for half your life."

Most likely out of sympathy, no one said a word for a while.

"I wonder how my parents are going to handle the news," Elsa moped.

"Well, you'll find out soon," said Anna, who at that moment pulled a letter out from her bouquet of flowers. "Merlin sent them an owl, they know everything. This is from them."

Elsa winced again. "Well, that saves me the trouble of having to come up with an excuse."

Anna sighed. "Oh Elsa, please stop feeling sorry for yourself. Don't you get it? You're a hero."

"That's right," said Belle. "You saved us all… Although Hogwarts itself has certainly paid a price. But that's not a problem. The teachers are working vigorously on the reconstruction as we speak."

Rapunzel nodded. "But they got the Hospital Wing done first so you and Aurora would have somewhere to sleep."

Elsa looked puzzled. "Aurora?"

Rapunzel pointed to the bed to Elsa's right. It contained Aurora Briar, who was fast asleep. Apparently she was still under the influence of the powerful Sleeping Draught.

"Has she been like that this whole time?"

Everyone nodded.

"They had to use a Levitation Charm on her to move her outside when Hans set the place on fire," Kristoff explained with a small chuckle. "In retrospect, it was kinda funny."

Anna glared at him, half smiling.

"Oh! That reminds me," said Charlotte. She reached into her bouquet and withdrew a single red rosebud and what looked like an apology card. "These are for her. Oh, I hope she likes 'em. And I hope she won't be too angry with me when she wakes up."

Tiana rolled her eyes. Charlotte trotted over to Aurora's bed and placed the rosebud and the card on the bedside dresser.

"You know, that's all she's gotten since she's been here," Charlotte said, to Elsa. "And here you are gettin' all this finery. You're one popular patient, I'll tell you that."

Elsa surpassed a chuckle. "Well, it's sweet of you to think of her, Charlotte. And it was weet of you to go into the forest with the others to look for me, even if it did ruin your shoes."

Charlotte beamed. "It was worth it to find our hero."

Elsa then felt a great deal of respect for Charlotte La Bouff. She may have been ditzy and a bit shallow, but hearts didn't seem to come much bigger than hers.

Then Elsa looked into the faces of Milo, Jane, and Kevin. "And it was sweet of you all to stay by me when I faced Hans. I'm sorry if I offended you when I said I had to do it alone. I guess I was wrong."

Milo shrugged. "We just thought it was right. It's like we said, we've all endured abuse from him. And we wanted to defend our team captain."

"Maybe next time, Slytherin will think twice before they laugh at our team again," agreed Jane.

Kevin said something that Merida had to translate for the others. "Birds of a feather flock together."

Violet, whose hair was once again hidden behind her hair, looked unhappy. "Wish I could've been there to fight with you," she said quietly.

Elsa, feeling moved by this statement, lifted a hand to Violet's face and gently pushed back the curtain of hair.

"We'll still need you later on," she said comfortingly. "No team is complete without a Seeker."

Violet smiled.

Madam Potts suddenly clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "Alright now dears, that'll do. It's time you all left your gifts here and went on your way. Elsa still needs to rest."

Reluctantly, everyone placed their sweets and flowers around Elsa's bed, bid their goodbyes, and quietly filed out of the Hospital Wing. Belle and Rapunzel stayed just a bit longer to give Elsa an extra surprise.

"We wanted to give these to you personally," said Belle. She handed Elsa an old looking book with a pure white cover. "It was one of my favorites growing up. It's mostly read by muggles, but it made me think of you. I thought you might like it."

Elsa read the title of the book out loud, "'The Snow Queen'."

Belle nodded. "She's a lot like you: complex, powerful, and misunderstood. You might learn a bit about yourself by learning about her."

Elsa laughed. "Thanks, Belle."

Then Rapunzel said, "I have something for you too." She withdrew her sketchbook from nowhere, opened it, and pulled out a single sheet of paper. "Just finished it this morning," she said, handing the paper to Elsa.

Rapunzel had drawn a lifelike picture of a beautiful, vaguely familiar, young woman. She was graceful and statuesque and was dressed in a formfitting pale blue gown with a pattern of snowflakes. Elsa examined the sketched figure with her platinum blonde braid, blue eyes, and lightly freckled features. It did not take her too long to realize that the stunning woman in the drawing was a glamorous, more devil-may-care version of herself.

"Wow," she whispered, loud enough for the artist behind this masterpiece to hear.

"You like it?" Rapunzel asked.

"It's incredible," said Elsa. "Thank you. Thank you both. You're the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

Belle and Rapunzel hugged her gently and then bid her goodbye before Madam Potts became too impatient.

"Just keep resting, dearest," Madam Potts said once the room was free of visitors. "You shouldn't be here for too much longer." And she turned her back to attend to Aurora.

Flowers, sweets, a letter, a book, a drawing. Elsa felt like the most pampered hospital patient in the world. But the gifts were the least of it. She felt pampered with something far more precious than any of the objects that surrounded her: love and friendship.

_End of Chapter_


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